Contagious Souls
by CD57
Summary: This story takes place after the first season's episode A Horrible Mind. A University Professor was tortured to death, one of his students arrested. They think the case is closed, but is it really? LAST, FINAL CHAPTER UP. COMPLETE.
1. Justice done

TITLE: **Contagious Souls**

AUTHOR: CD57

CATEGORY: Action/Adventure, Angst.

SPOILERS: Season 1: A Horrible Mind

RATING: R, for violence.

PAIRING: awww... H/C UST maybe. I suck at romance, though

CONTENT WARNINGS: If you thought the episode was horrible, then you might not like this story. It's rated R for a reason.

DISCLAIMER: oh I don't own a thing. Except this idea...

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is my very first CSI Miami story. Remember that episode with that University teacher that was tortured to death? I just couldn't help but thinking what would happen to the students of his class. The case was closed, but was it really over?

Thanks, Yoof and Soles for their help. And then Pheral, your help has been amazing!!! This fic wouldn't have been like it is without you.

_**1. JUSTICE DONE.**_

Case closed. The confession made, the student convicted. Justice done.

Lt. Horatio Caine sat behind his desk, unable to stop thinking about the horrible crime he and his team had just solved. A man, with beliefs and thoughts that were unbearable to consider, with ways to "teach" his students about things no parent would want their children to be taught.

How the cultural anthropologist Adam Metzger had become a Professor at Cabrerra University was a question _an sich_, one that would most likely never be answered. Yet, Horatio Caine - no stranger to people capable of violence, rape and murder - knew as no other that sometimes a man turned out completely the opposite to what everybody around him believed him to be.

Professor Metzger had been one of them.

Teaching his class about torture and slaughter. Provoking the students with Nazi ideals and KKK methods. Teaching them that pain and hatred made better men. Subjecting his class to rituals and mock lynchings.

Horatio sighed. His left hand absently massaged his brow in an unconscious attempt to suppress a rapidly developing headache. With the other hand, he picked up the spoon and stirred slowly in the mug sitting in front of him on the desk.

The coffee, poured into the mug at least half an hour ago, was long cold already, but the Lieutenant didn't even notice.

To what purpose?

It was the remaining question in this case. A trivial question that kept him busy. One that also never be answered.

Horatio Caine knew it would take him some time to accept that some things remained unsolved. His life was built around evidence. A criminal could try to hide the facts, but the evidence always told the truth in the end. It was a certainty that made the CSI into what they are. It was what they relied on when starting on a case.

This fact, however, was something the Professor of horror had taken down with him into his grave. And no matter how good the CSI team was, this one had left no evidence for them to find. Each member of his team could only take a wild guess as to why Metzger had done what he'd done. How he'd dragged one of his students down with him.

The sheer look of anguish and rage on Teresa Watson's face was something Horatio couldn't wipe from his memory. The young woman had simply snapped under Metzger's mental and physical experiments. One man dead, a woman's life broken. Shattered.

Where was the justice in that?

XXX-XXX-XXX

Calleigh Duquesne had been working in her lab that afternoon, finishing the reports on the latest crime before the file would be archived.

There was something about this case shaking her to the core. Of course, the death of that University Professor was horrible, as were the facts they had discovered during their investigation, but they'd had just as many ugly cases before and yet none had affected her like this one.

She needed to remain unattached. She needed to keep her distance. Block out the emotional reality and concentrate on the evidence. She'd done it a million times already.

Why didn't it work this time?

Speed and Eric had left to investigate another crime scene, so she hadn't had the chance to talk to Speed about this.

With a deep sigh Calleigh signed the last report, shoved the papers into the file folder and closed it.

Maybe now this horrible case was over. Maybe now, she could erase it from her memory and move on to the next.

Calleigh got up, grabbed the folder and left the lab. Shortly after, she knocked on her boss' door before opening it.

Horatio looked up.

Calleigh wasn't sure, but for a moment she thought her boss' face was troubled. Then, it was gone, as he threw her one of his famous smiles.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi, handsome," she responded. "I'm done with this," she indicated at the file folder she was carrying, "and I was about to archive it. Is there anything you'd like to add before I put it away?"

"No," Caine answered slowly. He got up and straightened his shoulders. "I am sure you covered everything." He took the mug and finished the remaining cold coffee at once, then walked around the desk.

"Okay," Calleigh said. "I'll be in the lab, then. Are you going somewhere?"

Horatio gave a brief nod. "I am going to brief Dean Hernandez about the outcome of this case. One of the students of his University is going to trial, but I also want to talk to him about what he is going to do about those other students of Adam Metzger's class."

"They need help," Calleigh stated. Another shiver shook her tall frame at the thought of what those teenagers had been going through under the deceased man's wicked imagination.

"Yes, they do. I want to make sure Hernandez realizes that, too."

She wasn't surprised. Her boss always made a great effort in looking after the team but also never failed to care for victims and relatives that were left behind in the crime cases. "Do you want me to go with you?"

Horatio shook his head. He threw a quick glance at his watch before lifting his head and looking at her. "You know," he started. "You know, it is already late. Speed and Eric can handle the next case, so... why don't you take the rest of the day off. And I will see you again tomorrow morning."

Calleigh wasn't going to argue. She gladly accepted his offer. "Very well. I'll drop these off," she pointed at the file folder, "and then I'll be heading home. Thank you, Horatio."

He smiled, then opened the door for her. "You are welcome."

Calleigh quickly passed him. She threw one look over her shoulder and watched him close the door to his office, preparing to head out. She called after him. "See you tomorrow!"


	2. It isn't over

**_2. IT ISN'T OVER._**

Lt. Horatio Caine left the University building around six P.M. The place seemed deserted, classes having long ended that day. His conversation with Dean Hernandez had taken nearly two hours, but had been fruitful.

The Dean had discussed his major concerns about Metzger's students with the Miami crime scene investigator and together they had talked through some plans of action.

Caine's previous jobs had provided him with lots of contacts and he was glad he could hand the Dean some names and phone numbers. This was really out of the University's league and it required some specialists to help the class deal with the trauma.

After shaking hands Joseph Hernandez sincerely thanked Caine for his help and promised to keep him posted.

Now, Horatio put on his shades and walked over to the Hummer, fully intending to drive home and hit the sack early that night.

Across the parking lot, a young woman got up from the bench she had been sitting on and approached the red-haired man. "Lieutenant!"

Horatio turned around. He immediately recognized the small fragile posture of Ginny Taylor, the student whose dog had been tortured to death under the Professor's care. "Well, hello. Ginny, wasn't it?"

"Yes, that's right. I was wondering... could I talk to you about something?"

The girl seemed nervous, which, after recent events, wasn't really a surprise. Horatio threw her an encouraging smile. "Of course," he started and lifted a hand to take off his sunglasses.

The girl moved her hand, quickly, shoving her electrical taser forcefully into the Lieutenant's midsection.

Despite the burning and stunning effect of the taser, Caine immediately blocked the attack by pushing the young woman's hand away. His beloved sunglasses fell to the ground and Horatio staggered back, slightly bent over in order to protect the damaged area.

In the meantime, two shadows jumped from behind the Hummer.

Caine spun around, avoided the first man coming at him from the right but unfortunately tumbled straight into the direction of the second man.

Strong arms grabbed him and a piece of cloth was pressed into his face. Horatio registered the sweet odor, and knew instantly what it was and what it would do. His heart already missed a beat and his knees buckled from the overwhelming bout of dizziness.

Then, all went black and he neither noticed the car driving towards them, nor felt that he was being lifted into the back before the vehicle left the scene all together.

XXX-XXX-XXX

Horatio Caine woke up with a headache. He was lying on his left side on a cold, hard floor. His jacket and shirt were gone, leaving him in his bare torso. His hands were bound behind his back, and his ankles were also tightly secured. Luckily, he thought, they'd left his trousers on.

With the nausea plaguing him it took him a while to realize that he was blindfolded as well.

That left a couple of senses for him to use, his hearing, his scent and his gut feeling.

The first told him he was alone, wherever he was. He assumed he wasn't in Miami, as a city made more noise than he was picking up, unless of course he was in a sound-proof room. The vague noises that he did pick up told him however that he was somewhere out in the country.

Picking up the scent of oak, he figured he was inside some wooden cabin. Then the charcoal told him a fire was used here to either heat up the place or for cooking purposes. This only confirmed his earlier assumption that he was not in Miami.

His gut feeling told him he was in trouble. He remembered the attack now. First, the young woman stunning him with her taser, then the two men jumping at him from both sides.

Truth to be told, they had taken him completely by surprise. Horatio also realized the attack had been simple and well-executed. He'd had no chance at all.

What did they want from him? More importantly, when would his team start missing him?

Thinking this over, Caine was already trying to loosen the knots around his wrists.

Speed and Eric had been at a crime scene. When they would return, they would assume their boss had gone home for the night. He'd sent Calleigh home, and told her he would see her next morning. He had even told Alexx he would go home after visiting Dean Hernandez at the University.

The rope didn't give. To make matters worse, it started cutting deeper into his skin.

He was in trouble and only the next day would his team start looking for him. He was completely on his own.


	3. The power of insanity

_**3. THE POWER OF INSANITY.  
**_

_**  
Author's notes: **_**this is the part where it gets real ugly. Don't read if you can't stand graphic torture! You can skip this chapter and continue reading from chapter 4 if you want and fill in the missing pieces yourself. You HAVE been warned.  
Oh, and I don't know where this came from, I swear. I'll try to make it up to H, though.  
Thanks to Ph. She made me make this even worse than it was at the beginning...  
**

_"It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways." - Buddha_

Caine wasn't sure how long he had been lying there. He'd not only been trying to loosen the knots binding his hands together, but had also desperately shifted around, trying to find something, anything, that could help him get rid of the ropes. The floor was empty, though. No sharp objects, nothing. His skin under the ropes was raw from moving around, but he continued working on the knots. Suddenly he stilled.

People were approaching the cabin. He heard their footsteps, the gross sucking of sodden dirt pulling boots as they trudged, the faint splatter of moisture on rain-bowed grass. Persistent squelching impacts resounded through his head, his posture ridiculously unnatural as he lay arched on the floor, frozen in a mix of fear and concentration, waiting.

Then there was another sound, and Horatio wondered briefly what it was until he recognized it as humming.

Monotonous notes hovering in the air, floating down to him on the cold concrete, increasing in volume and accompanied by their relentless footsteps as they drew closer. The sound reminiscent of a monastery's morning chords, or a meditative base note. Religiously calm and even.

Suddenly closer, the footsteps stopped altogether, to be replaced by the noise of a door opening.

One set of footsteps -the strides of a male- led one person closer. Horatio stayed absolutely still as he concentrated on what was happening.

His exposed arm was grabbed by a strong hand and he was being hauled to his feet. Another hand grabbed him under his other armpit and then the man started dragging. "Hey," Horatio protested. "Wouldn't it be easier if I walked?"

The man stopped and let go.

The Lieutenant, who literally hadn't seen that coming, lost his balance on his bound feet and crashed to the ground.

A soft click that Caine recognized as a knife being opened followed, then suddenly the ropes around his feet fell apart. The strong grip under his arm was back and again, Horatio was being dragged along, out of the room. He stumbled over what must have been the doorstep, then the cold evening breeze caught his face and bare chest, telling him they were outside. The silent group started marching. All he could do was try to keep up with the pace by trying to get one foot in front of the other.

Tripping over something for the umpteenth time, Caine grunted and wished they'd taken his blindfold off so at least he could see where he was going. The uncomfortable feeling had now been replaced by a mixture of anger, fear and desperation.

There were at least five more people following, he knew, as he'd been concentrating on the sounds their footsteps made on the path. He couldn't make out more, as his own heart-beat almost overruled all of his senses. Besides, they were humming that irritating tune again. Some of the humming was definitely feminine, he knew, though.

The trip had been short. Suddenly, the man dragging him stopped and spun him around. More people approached him, and something was tied around his wrists. More ropes. Then somebody pushed something underneath his armpits.

Then a lot of things happened all at once.

Somebody pulled off the blindfold, while the ropes that bound his hands behind his back were cut loose. The other ropes pulled his arms sideways before Horatio even had the chance to roll his shoulders to relieve the pain. The strain under his arms became stronger and he realized they were another set of ropes, pulling taught and lifting him, just enough to leave his feet dangling a few inches above the ground.

If he'd had any hope at all that he would get out of this situation unscratched, that hope now faded at what was waiting for him. Even surviving this ordeal seemed far beyond reach, he thought in despair as he craned his neck and saw what he was facing. There were nine unnerving figures standing in front of him, lined up in two rows, four in front, five behind them. They were clad head to foot in uniform black robes, narrow eye slits showing glimpses of white.

It was dark but each figure carried a lamp holder, with a thick candle burning inside. The faint light from the moon and stars combined with the dancing flames, reflecting in the protective glass, the branches of trees fluttering by the soft breeze. It all made it even more spooky and unreal.

Throwing a glance sideways, he found both arms spread to an almost ninety-degree angle, tightened to near-by trees. The other rope circled his upper chest and was knotted at the front, then running high up into the air. Caine only had to lean back to look up and see it hanging over a big branch. He shivered.

"You know," he started slowly. "You know you are assaulting a police officer. I don't know what Adam Metzger has taught you, but this is Miami and what you are doing is against our law."

Something lashed and landed on his bare back. Horatio nearly cried out in pain.

"You will yield," one of the covered people, a man with a dark voice, growled.

"You know," Caine gasped, trying to catch his breath. "I cannot do that."

Another lash stung its way down the bare flesh of his back.

"Pain is what we long for," the dark voice continued.

"This isn't how people treat each other," Horatio objected desperately, pain evident in his voice. He gasped as he was struck again, his body rocking from the blow. "What about mutual respect, didn't Metzger teach you about that?"

"Yield. Surrender. Welcome the pain."

"No."

"And beg for mercy. Crawl at my feet." Each word was snapped along with the whip tearing up Horatio's back.

"No," the Miami head of the crime lab protested with a faint shake of his head. "This is wrong. And deep down you know it. Arggh..." he groaned and his body arched at yet another lash. "One man has died, one of your fellow students' life is lost forever. Hasn't that been enough?" He flinched as the whip came down again.

He had to stall. He had to get through to them. These were just kids, who had the wrong guy messing with their heads. He had to make them see, before it was too late. If it wasn't already.

"Every human being will break. Professor Metzger was right."

"He was wrong. And he had no right." The words got almost caught in his throat as another lash hit home. The coppery smell of blood told him his back was cut up badly.

Caine saw some motion from the corner of his eye and slowly turned his head to the left. One of his assaulters moved closer, a thick metal chain wrapped around his wrist. The clanging of chain links deafened the sound of his own heart and the crime scene Lieutenant couldn't help but stare at the bare hands that slowly handled the weapon.

Suddenly, the man swung his arm, and the chain hit Caine against his shins, the loose end of it wrapping around his legs before swaying back. He gasped at the impact and forced his eyes to follow the dreadful instrument.

Anticipating the next blow, Horatio strained the muscles of his stomach, lifted his right leg and swung it forcefully into the man's midsection before the chain had the chance to hit home.

The man grunted, stumbled backwards, then roared in wild rage. "Resistance will be punished," a cold voice snapped from under the robe covering the man's face.

The man rolled another round of the chain off his wrist, making it longer. Carefully choosing his position, he stood and, out of his captive's reach, he flung his weapon again, all of his anger forced in that one motion.

Caine groaned out loud, the lower part of his body rocking from the blow, but he had no time to recover. The links were clanging again, and the chain smashed against his shins, the left leg taking the major focus of the blow. He gasped in agony, and didn't notice the man shifting in position.

This time, the chain wrapped itself around his legs from the other side. Horatio sucked in ragged breaths. His right leg was throbbing as badly as his left.

The next blow came down on top of his leather shoes. Horatio gasped at the intensity of the pain shooting through his feet, then, his mouth still open in a silent scream, he forced air down into his lungs in a desperate attempt to keep from crying out. Salty drops of sweat ran down his temples and, his face screwed up from agony, he finally had to draw another breath. The pain didn't fade. Feeling sick now, he had no energy to raise his head to see what would come next.

The chains kept coming down, this time directed at the back of his legs, then the man's arms grew tired as the blows lessened in their force to finally stop altogether. "Don't ever try something like that again."

Horatio refrained from commenting. With the spikes of agony running through his legs, he was too busy trying to get his haggard and erratic breathing under control. He had his eyes shut tightly, yet moisture leaked through his eyelashes and rolled down his cheeks. With his teeth clenched and his hands balled into fists all he could do was endure and hope it would end.

He couldn't imagine ever having hurt this bad, not even after he got caught in that bomb explosion in the federal building a few years ago. How long could he keep this up? He felt the most horrifying pity for Metzger, as it had taken at least six hours of suffering before the man had finally died.

"I can clarify your soul," the cold voice said, dragging his captive's attention back to the here and now. "All I need is for you to ask for forgiveness."

"I have done nothing wrong," Caine hissed through clenched teeth. "There's no need for forgiveness." His body had stopped rocking and now his arm-pits were screaming from the rope burns on top of the agony that were his shoulders, back and legs.

"Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us," another voice called out from the dark. The whip came down once more.

Insane. This was plain insane. His breathing having returned to a more controllable level, Horatio slowly forced himself to relax his hands. He needed to focus on getting through to these people if he was going to survive this. He tried a different tactic.

"Was the Professor right to kill your dog, Ginny? You are here, aren't you, Ginny?" Caine concentrated on the talking, trying to banish every lash from his mind, trying to push the agony back in the box. "Did you hate your dog? Ginny? Do you hate me as well? What have I done to you?"

"Beg. For. Mercy." The dark voice continued stoically.

"No," he couldn't give in, no matter what. He had to prove these young people wrong and hope one of them saw sense. His back was on fire, his legs were throbbing unmercifully and his left foot was starting to go numb. Blinking his eyes against the rivulets of sweat gliding down his face he tilted his head a little to look at the crowd standing in front of him. "Stop this. We can help you. Don't let him win."

"Pain makes us stronger. Hate makes us invulnerable. You will see."

One of the nine people that stood watching had started to shift. Through the fog that was surrounding him, Horatio noticed this and wondered who it was. He groaned at another direct hit on the welts already present on his back.

"No, YOU need to see. Open your eyes. Think -arrgh- what you are doing. He controls you, even if he's dead."

"Yield," the man doing the talking continued.

"You already have... he has broken you. All of you," Caine's voice grew weaker, yet he refused to give up. "Ned..." he tried a different approach after another blast to his back. "Tell me. Tell me, Ned. How does it feel, to be amongst the hunters instead of being the hunted..."

This time, he was struck in his front, with something heavier that a whip. It left the Lieutenant gasping for breath and he wondered if his ribs had survived that blow.

"T..t.t.tell me, Ned," Horatio continued. Talking was getting harder. His breathing was erratic and every intake of air sent spikes of pain through his abused body. Pin-pricks of neon light dotted the sides of his vision, and he struggled to keep the black-clad figures in focus against the murky background of mist. "Do you... want... the Professor... to win... or do you want... your life back?"

"We are in control."

Another blow. Something piercing the skin on his left arm. He gasped, his face creasing in agony, his lips curling in despair. "No... you... are being con... trolled." Caine fought to stay conscious, but it was getting hard. "This.. This isn't you, but Metzger talking... Do you really want to be like him?"

"Surrender. You will prove to us he's right."

"No... right. Wrong..." Black spots were dancing in front of his eyes and he doubted he could hang on much longer. Horatio didn't know if it was before or after midnight, but his team wasn't coming for him until in the morning. He almost laughed inwardly at the absurdness. That he'd be the next victim and that his team would have to search the crime scene. Taking photos of him hanging here. Searching for evidence. Alexx processing his body.

Weakly, Horatio shook his head in sheer denial. This wasn't how it should end. He didn't want to put his people through that. He didn't want to end up like that. There were so many things that had remained unsaid.

"You have... the power to stop this. You can choose," he sucked in another ragged breath. "Don't throw your life away." What else could he say? How could he drag these students back to normalcy? "You will end up... just like Theresa Watson. No crime remains... unpunished in... Miami."

He wasn't succeeding, he thought desperately. There was no way he could keep this up the whole night. His strength was fading. Horatio's vision was blurring and he felt the blackness claiming him. He'd lost. Those kids were doomed and he hadn't been able to save them. He'd failed. "I'm... sorry," he whispered to no one in particular as his eyes rolled up into his head.


	4. Where is Horatio?

_**4. WHERE IS HORATIO?**_

Eric Delko and Tim Speedle were already in the break room when Calleigh arrived at head quarters that morning.

"Good morning," she announced her arrival cheerfully. "You've left some coffee for me to start the day, haven't you?"

Eric grinned. "What, did you really think we want to live through the day with a caffeine-deprived monster messing around in the lab?"

"Imagine what would happen if said monster grabbed for a shotgun," Speed teasingly added.

Calleigh rolled her eyes. "Very funny, guys." Taking a mug she held it under the machine and pressed the right bottom. "So what's you're working on?"

Speed shrugged. "Basic crime scene. A house, a dead body, a crying widow, a messed up bedroom, a broken window..."

"Same old, same old," Eric completed. "I think this one shouldn't take too long."

"What," Calleigh asked, taking her mug and sipping some coffee. "You think it's the widow?"

Eric nodded.

"Or her lover," added Speed.

"Ouch," Calleigh commented. Suddenly realizing something was amiss, she looked up. "Where's Horatio?"

"Don't know," Eric said. "He's not in yet."

"It's a quarter to eight. He'll be here in a minute," Speed reasoned after a quick glance at his watch.

Calleigh frowned. Of course Speed was right. It had been a long day yesterday, and she really had thought her boss looked tired the day before, but still she had an uneasy feeling.

Trying to shake it off, she finished her coffee. "Well, I'll be in the lab," she said.

A while later, she found herself entering the autopsy lab. Alexx Woods was there, walking around the bare body of a man lying spread out on the table.

"Poor man," Alexx said, tenderly letting her fingers run through the ruffled grey hair. "What did they do to you, huh?"

"Hi, Alexx," Calleigh greeted her colleague.

"Morning, sweetie," Alexx responded without looking away from her work.

"What have you got?" Calleigh stepped closer to get a better look.

"White male, in his late fifties, -I bet you wanted to add a few years to that, didn't you, honey-," Alexx resumed. "Time of death between three thirty and four yesterday afternoon. Bullet wound to the chest, close to the heart, possibly the cause of death..."

"Didn't Speed and Eric find a gun at the crime scene?" Calleigh interrupted.

Alexx nodded. "In a minute I'll have the bullet for you. Now what I'm wondering here is..." she seemed to be talking to herself as she was bent over the body, gently pressing the belly area with her gloved hands.

Calleigh waited patiently.

Alexx remained silent, while she investigated further. A frown appeared on her face.

"What?" Calleigh asked curiously.

"Honey, can you get Horatio down here?" Alexx asked without looking up.

"Sure," Calleigh said, and turned around to go and get her boss. "He'll be here by now," she muttered under her breath.

Walking through the hallway, she soon found the Lieutenant's office empty. She then went to find the guys in the fingerprint lab. "Horatio still not here?" she asked, startling both men.

Speed looked up, surprise evident on his face.

Eric glanced at the clock. "It's almost eight thirty," he muttered. He grabbed the phone and dialed their boss' cell phone number. Half a minute later he broke off the connection and frowned. "No answer..."

"Okay. Now I am officially worried," Calleigh stated.


	5. In search of evidence

**_5. IN SEARCH OF EVIDENCE._**

Alexx came into the lab. "Calleigh, where's Horatio?"

Calleigh turned around. "We don't know. He hasn't checked in yet and he isn't answering his cell phone."

Alexx frowned. "He hasn't said he had somewhere to be this morning?"

Speedle shook his head. "Not to me."

"For as long as I know him, H has never been late without giving an excuse," Eric said, a worried frown etched on his face.

Speed wasted no time as he grabbed the keys. "Track his cell phone. Alexx, come. We're going to check his house."

Calleigh nodded in agreement. If anything had happened, Alexx was the person you'd want nearby. She was the medic after all.

Eric was already on the phone, not even looking as his two partners left in a hurry. "Carlo, it's me. I need a favor. Can you track Lt. Caine's cell phone? We need to know where he is."

Calleigh waited anxiously while she tried to find clues that might help them locate their boss and mentor. Where was he?

"What did you say, Carlos? Can you be a little more specific?" Eric asked. "Okay. Thanks. I owe you one." With that he broke the connection and turned to Calleigh. "Let's go."

She rushed after him. "What did he say?" she asked.

Eric didn't slow down. "That the phone isn't moving..."

Wondering whether that was good or bad, Calleigh jumped into Eric's car. Eric got in as well, started the engine and sped into traffic. "It's somewhere in Biscayne Boulevard. It's at least thirty minutes from here."

"Step on it," Calleigh urged. "You think we need to call Tripp?"

Eric concentrated on the road. His face set to a grim mask, he answered. "If Speed doesn't find him home and we don't find him here, we'll have to."

Twenty minutes later they left the I-95 and were heading east onto 79th Street as Calleigh's phone rang.

"Yes?" she answered.

"Cal, H is not at home," Speed said to her. "The Hummer isn't here either."

"Okay," Calleigh acknowledged. "We have a location on his phone and are almost there. Biscayne Boulevard."

"How did he leave yesterday?" Speed asked. "What did he say?"

"He sent me home late in the afternoon. He was going to talk to Dean Hernandez at Cabrerra University," Calleigh explained.

"We'll go over there and see if Hernandez knows anything," Speed decided. "Check back with me when you have something."

"I will." Calleigh broke off. "They're going to the University. Horatio went there yesterday afternoon," she filled Eric in.

Eric nodded and parked the car. "This is it. I have no idea what H might be doing here... let's walk and see what we find."

They got out, grabbed their field kits and started walking down the street. They searched the pavement, hoping to find a trace, and looked at every building, to see if it brought any connection to where Horatio might be.

"Call him," Calleigh said suddenly. "We might hear the phone."

Eric had already dialed. They stood absolutely still, cursing at the noise the traffic made.

"Nothing. Let's walk a bit further and try again," Eric suggested.

They repeated the process and only at the third attempt they were lucky. It took them only a few strides to reach a dustbin. Calleigh lifted the top and the sound of the cell phone was immediately much clearer.

They looked at each other. "We need to treat this as a crime scene," Calleigh said, hesitation in her voice.

"He could be still alive in there. We need to hurry," Eric objected.

Calleigh looked at him. The same thought had crossed her mind. The urgency to find her boss won. Snapping her kit open, she drew out some gloves and quickly put them on. She held out her hand, a resolute look on her face. "Help me in."

Eric grabbed her hand and supported her, as she climbed into the dustbin.

She carefully started digging in the dirt, not caring about messing up her clothes in the progress. She first cleared the area around her feet, making sure she wasn't standing on her boss somehow. Then she followed the sound of the cell phone ringing and soon had it. Picking it up carefully, she handed it over to Eric, who already had a plastic bag ready.

Calleigh let out a sigh of relief. She'd searched fast but thoroughly and she was certain there was no human body in the container. Climbing out, she instructed. "Get the lines and secure the area. We might need to come back for more evidence later."

Eric already had the yellow crime scene tape out and started marking the area.

Calleigh climbed out of the container. "I'm going to call Tripp," she said, her hands slapping her pants clean of dust and dirt.


	6. Anger and determination

**_6. ANGER AND DETERMINATION._**

While Calleigh was on the phone talking to Detective Tripp, Eric worked on marking the crime scene. He was just about done when his cell phone rang. "Delko," he answered it curtly.

"Eric... We've found the Hummer." It was Speedle, and he was talking fast. "It's still parked at the University."

"Okay," Eric commented. "So H went there this morning to have another chat with Dean Hernandez?"

"No. The Dean told us he had a chat with Horatio last night, but that they didn't plan a second meeting this morning. Eric, we found H's shades near the Hummer."

"Damn," cursed Eric. Their boss never went anywhere without his sunglasses. An unnerving feeling crept over him. "What about Metzger's class... can they tell you anything?"

"They're not here, Eric. None of them showed up this morning. I don't think that's a coincidence."

"Okay. We found H's cell phone. We'll head back to head quarters and run it for fingerprints. We'll get Tripp to make a few house calls. You and Alexx find out what you can there, then get to the Professor's house and see if you can find a lead. Anything..."

"Eric?" Speed asked quietly, unable to say out loud what he was thinking.

"Speed, go. He's not dead until we find him dead. Be careful and stay in touch." Eric slapped his phone closed and snatched Calleigh's phone from her fingers, leaving her in the midst of her sentence staring at him in mock surprise.

"Frank, I've got some new info," Eric immediately continued. "Speedle and Alexx found the Hummer parked at Cabrerra's University. H isn't there, his glasses were lying on the ground."

Calleigh's eyes widened as she heard this piece of information.

"Yes, that's what I think as well," Eric responded to something Tripp had said to him. "None of the students from Metzger's class have showed up this morning, so I suggest you go and pick them up, wherever they are."

After listening again, Eric finished with a decisive, "We'll do that," then handed the phone back to Calleigh. "Let's go."

Sprinting back to the car didn't take too long and then they were heading back to base. Neither of them said anything. Eric's face was grim.

Calleigh couldn't stop thinking about Adam Metzger's dead body. What if the class had done the same to their boss? It was unbearable. Horatio was always there for her. He couldn't be dead, he just couldn't. She bit on her lip and sniffed a bit.

"We'll find him, Cal. I swear to God, we'll find him."

Calleigh nodded, amazed at the determination in Eric's voice. She, too, believed they would find him. But she wasn't so sure if they would find him still alive.

XXX-XXX-XXX

Speed and Alexx entered Adam Metzger's house. With help from a group of students they'd thoroughly searched the forest area behind the University. All traces on the location where they'd found Adam Metzger a couple of days ago were gone and they came up empty. Then they'd searched through the huge building, looking for clues. They hadn't found anything that could help, so finally they had headed here.

"What are we looking for?" Alexx asked.

"I don't know. Anything. Clues. Locations. Where did the good old Professor take those kids for his experiments? Did he have a second house? A favorite camping site? I don't know..." Speed motioned helplessly with his hands.

Alexx grabbed his hand and squeezed. "We'll find him."

"If they have killed him..." Speed had trouble keeping his voice from trembling. His hands balled into fists, he stared at the floor. "I swear... I..."

"Shush," Alexx said. "Come on, sweetie. Horatio needs us."

Speed wildly shook his head, attempting to shake off the rage that had been consuming him. "You're right. Let's start looking."

Alexx took the living room, Speed the office. They found things, but no clues. They found notes, read through them, but besides that the experiments had apparently taken place out in the open, it didn't say where.

Speed's phone rang, so he answered it. It was Calleigh. She informed him that the prints on Horatio's phone were identified. They belonged to Jenny Connors, one of the female students of Metzger's class. She also told him that Tripp had come up empty so far in locating any of the twelve students.

With a desperate sigh, Speed disconnected. They now had evidence that the students had something to do with Horatio's disappearance and it fueled his fury. Quickly, he explained the situation to Alexx.

"What are Eric and Calleigh planning now?" she wanted to know, as she worriedly looked at her friend and colleague.

"They're going to dig into the students' backgrounds. See if they come up with something." Speed turned and banged a fist against the wall. "Damn! Come on, H. Where are you?"


	7. Another lead

_**7. ANOTHER LEAD.**_

"Alexx?" Speedle called out from Metzger's office.

"Hmm?" Alexx had been turning everything in the Professor's living room upside down, but hadn't found anything yet. "You got something?"

"Look at this..." Speed was holding a bank transfer booklet.

Alexx stood next to him, looking at what Speed was showing her.

"Money transfers... to different kinds of stores, the rent, the mortgage... But," Speed pointed at one specific entry. "Look at this."

"Patrick's Outdoors Shop?" Alexx read out loud, frowning. "What about that?"

"Well," Speed explained. "I've found several transfers to this store during the past year."

"So our Professor shopped there. Is that uncommon?"

"No. But do you know where this store is located?" Speed pointed at the booklet in his hand. "Chekika."

"The Glades?" Alexx asked. "Isn't that area closed due to high water?"

Speed nodded, looking intently at the name of the store. "What do you think?"

She doubted. "It's a wild guess, Speed."

"I know. But at this moment we've got absolutely nothing. And this sounds just like him, Alexx. Think about it. An area without tourists... It's the perfect area for his mock lynches. I think we should check it out."

Alexx looked at him, thinking. He was right, it was the only thing they had, and by the looks of it they wouldn't find anything else.

"It's a big area," she objected slightly.

"We'll go to that store first and ask some questions. Who knows, huh?"

"Let's go, then, honey," Alexx agreed, and left the house with Speed close behind her.

XXX-XXX-XXX

It was a quarter to eleven when Alexx's phone rang. "Yeah?" she answered it.

"Alexx," Calleigh said. "I'm going crazy here. I've been looking at those students' background over and over again, but I have NO idea."

"How about Tripp, has he found anybody yet?" Alexx asked.

"No. It's like they have disappeared from the area. They are hiding somewhere, I swear. We're losing him, Alexx..." She sounded desperate. "What have you found?"

"Nothing much, actually," Alexx sighed. "We're following a long shot, though. Speed found money transfers from Metzger to an outdoor shop in the glades. Near Chekika area. You know, the camping site they closed down due to the high water?"

"Hmm," Cal said. "Chekika... Chekika... Let me get back to you."

"What, you know something?" Alexx demanded anxiously.

"Let me check something. I'll call right back," Calleigh said, then broke off.

"What was that?" Speed was driving but had been following the conversation.

"Cal has to check something out. She's gone over the students background but came up empty so far. Tripp has been unable to locate anybody of that class."

"Of course," muttered Speed. His hands turned a shade of white, with the way he was gripping the wheel. "What if we don't find him, Alexx?"

Alexx patted his arm. "We'll find him, Speed. We will find him. I just hope he's still alive."

They both fell silent, each lost in their own concerns. Then, the phone rang again. Alexx looked at the display and answered it. "What have you got, Cal?"

Calleigh's voice was filled with excitement. "Where are you now, are you getting close?"

"Uhm, yeah. We're on Krome Avenue. I think it's only a few miles until Richmond Drive," Alexx said.

"Look, remember Ned Sante, one of those students? His parents have a cabin. And you can guess where?"

"Chekika?"

"Exactly! This can't be just a coincidence. I've already called Frank Tripp. He's arranging an S&R by the rangers as we speak. I think he's also calling in some choppers. You're getting there first, though. "

"Do you know the location of that cabin?" asked Alexx.

"Yes. It's a few miles up north from the visitor's centre. Eric and I are coming as well. Our ETA is approx. half an hour. This has got to be it, Alexx."

Alexx nodded. "Let's hope so, Cal. We'll be in touch."

"Just find him, Alexx. Please."


	8. This is wrong

_**8. THIS IS WRONG.**_

Speedle and Alexx passed the visitor's centre and headed north straight away. The road was muddy due to the high water, but the Hummer didn't have any trouble with the path.

Shortly after, they reached the parking lot belonging to the camp site. Speed parked the car and they both reached for their kits before jumping out.

"Grab a blanket," Alexx ordered. "Let's hope we need it."

Searching the muddy path for any leads, they walked up to the camp site. Soon, the first cabins came into view, some to the right and some to the left.

It was as if nothing but their trudging through the wet grass and paths disturbed the silence.

Alexx was just about to ask something, when Speed raised his hand. "Shh."

They both stopped for a while, and listened. "Somebody is crying?" Alexx asked in surprise.

"That way." Speed didn't waste any time and led the way in the direction of the sound they heard.

It led them straight to another cabin. On the veranda sat a young man, with his knees drawn up and his head buried in his arms. He appeared unaware of the approach of the two CSI investigators.

"Hello," Alexx started gently, trying not to scare the man off.

Lifting his head, the young man looked up, startled by the greeting. His eyes widened. "This is all wrong," he muttered.

Speed frowned and stepped forward. "You're Ned Sante, aren't you?" His voice was sharp, the fear for the welfare of his boss overwhelming him. The urge to jump on the student and shake him was almost too much to control.

"Speed..." Alexx's soft voice withheld him from doing anything stupid.

"He was right..." Ned stammered. "It is wrong."

Alexx stepped forward and sat down next to the younger man, and put a comforting hand around his shoulders. "What's wrong, honey? You're not making any sense."

"He controls us..." Ned's eyes were wide, confused and held a lot of anguish. "God, I hate myself."

"Ned," Alexx said, keeping her voice soft and gentle. "We're here 'cause we are looking for Lieutenant Caine. He is missing and we are very worried about him. Do you know where he is?"

"No right..." Ned said only. "He had no right. He was right."

"Who was right?" Alexx asked, sending a silent warning to Speed to keep quiet.

"The Lieutenant was. He said that the Professor was still controlling us."

"Okay... When have you seen Lieutenant Caine last, Ned? It is very important that we find him. We are most concerned about his welfare."

Ned nervously looked over his shoulder, his eyes wild. "I think he's dead... Oh God what have we done?"

"Where is he?" Speed couldn't control his emotions any longer. He then strode past the two sitting on the veranda and, after finding the door open, burst inside.

Alexx rolled her eyes, then turned her attention back to the student. "Honey, can you take us to him? Please?"

As if in shock, the student got up. His eyes seemed to be staring into nothing. Slowly, he started walking, turning left around the cabin.

Throwing one look over her shoulder to see what Speed was up to, Alexx followed the kid.

They'd barely reached the back of the cabin when Speed caught up with them. He was literally radiating anger and rage, as he silently showed Alexx what he'd found.

Horatio's favorite blue shirt and the jacket of his suit.

Alexx winced. Throwing one good look at her partner she realized now was not the time to tell him he shouldn't have picked up the evidence. It was evident that Speed was too worried and too furious to think straight at the moment.

The only thing now that mattered was finding out what had happened to their boss. Dealing with the rest was something that would have to wait until later.

They didn't have to wait for long.

There was a bit of a more open space, and then the trees weren't blocking their view any longer.

Ned simply crashed to his haunches and started rocking, hugging his arms around his chest. He was humming something but the crime scene investigators weren't paying attention.

Speed's eyes widened at the scene in front of him.

Alexx closed her eyes in despair. "Oh, God."


	9. A horrible crime scene

_**A/N: **_I just wanted to add a quick thanks to Soles for helping me out with some stuff I know nothing about.... and again big thanks to Pheral. You've helped make this whole thing better! The upcoming chapters will be a bit longer, so enjoy. HGirl, you are the best reviewer in the world... I hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long for this.

_**  
**_

_**9. A HORRIBLE CRIME SCENE.**_

Alexx and Speed stared silently at the sight in front of them. Between the trees, their boss was hanging, arms spread out, dangling in the air. His head had tipped backwards, so they couldn't see his face from where they were standing. His torso was bare, covered in dark lashes and welts, dried blood crusted everywhere.

Carefully, as if she was trespassing holy ground, Alexx was the first to move. Her mind was screaming at her, surviving hanging like this for who knew how many hours was unlikely. Yet, she clung to a tiny glimpse of hope when she approached the body and knelt. Her hand gently moved forward, and she searched for her boss's ankle, the only part she could reach at the moment.

His skin felt cool to the touch.

The coolness wasn't too cold though, and he most certainly wasn't stiff yet. Closing her eyes in anticipation, Alexx searched for the right spot on the side of his ankle but if there was a pulse at all it was too faint for her to feel.

"Oh, honey... What did they do to you?" she muttered softly, and prepared to get up as her arm unwillingly knocked against Horatio's left shoe.

A slight spasm ran through the leg.

Her head shot upwards, as she stared at his body. Then, her hand deliberately touched his foot. Again, there was a faint response. It was barely noticeable but she saw it nevertheless, and her eyes widened.

"Speed, he's still alive!" she called out. "We need to get him down now."

Speedle, who hadn't dared to move an inch when Alexx was checking up on Horatio, now spurted into action. He had a knife out of his field kit in no time, and was running towards the first rope he could find.

"Whoa!" Alexx stopped him. "Careful now..." She stepped back and quietly studied the ropes that were holding Horatio up. Following them with her eyes, she tried to determine the best way to cut the ropes loose.

"Speed, get the blanket and come over here," she instructed.

She grabbed the blanket from him and quickly spread it out on the ground. "Here's what we're going to do. I want you to support Horatio as much as you can. I'm going to cut that rope first," she pointed to the one holding up her boss's right arm. "You've got to hold on, and make sure he's not moving too much. Also, I need you to lift him up enough, I don't want any more strain put to his chest."

Speed needed no more directions. After handing her the knife he stepped in place, his body against the dangling legs, then wrapped his arms around Horatio's waist. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he muttered when his hands felt welts he hadn't seen yet.

Alexx was already in the tree, and when she was certain Speed was in position, she cut the first rope.

Horatio's arm limply fell down. Speed wavered, but caught his balance.

Alexx jumped out of the tree and rushed to the other side. "Okay, make sure to lift him properly," she warned, then cut the second rope.

The other arm came down similar to the first. Speedle staggered a bit but stood, his legs slightly spread, in a now steady stance and was supporting and holding up the body of his boss. "Hurry up," he urged.

Alexx now hurried over to the last rope. It ran high up over a branch but was tied securely on the trunk of a tree way behind the spot where the Lieutenant was still hanging.

"Careful. The rope will come down on you..." Alexx warned. "Lower him onto the blanket, on his back." Then, in one fluid motion, she cut the last rope and watched how the tension in the line disappeared. She then sprinted back and assisted Speed in gently lowering Horatio onto the blanket. Alexx winced at the status of his back and also vaguely noticed the strange shape of Horatio's shoulder, but knew that was the least of his problems right now.

She dropped to her knees beside his head, and threw a thankful glance to Speed, who'd already cut open the knot of the rope still wrapped around Horatio's chest. She then tilted Horatio's head and lifted his chin, making sure the airway was open. He was barely breathing, the irregular gargling, wet sound telling her fluid was accumulating in his lungs from the compromising position he'd been in.

"Get help, and get it here fast, or we'll lose him," she snapped.

Speed had pushed the ropes aside, dug up his cell phone and was already punching in numbers.

Alexx wasn't paying attention. She only had eyes for her patient. "That's it, sweetheart. Keep on breathing." Her left hand pressed on his forehead to tilt back his head as she searched with the other hand for the right spot in his neck to check for a pulse.

Thready. Irregular. Weak and rapid.

"Come on, Horatio," she whispered softly to him. "Don't do this to us. You've come this far..." Keeping her left palm on his forehead she used her fingers and gently ruffled his red hair in an attempt to communicate comfort.

He gagged, gargled and choked, then shuddered.

Alexx, who still had one hand in his neck, lost the pulse before he actually stopped breathing. Her hands moved to locate the bottom edge of his ribcage, then she slapped the heel of one hand two fingers above the notch of the sternum and started chest compressions. Counting, she reached fifteen then gave two slow breaths, mouth-to-mouth.

Speed, who had finished his telephone call, snapped the phone shut and stared at the scene in shock. Alexx repeated the cycle four times, then stopped to check her patient.

She had a pulse, and she had him breathing again, albeit weakly and irregularly. "That's better, honey," she muttered. "Now keep this up. Help's on the way."

"Alexx?" Speed's voice was low, soft and filled with concern.

"He's holding his own," Alexx responded without taking her attention away from her patient. She kept one hand on his forehead to tilt his head and one hand in his neck. "Can you cover him? He's hypothermic and in shock. And get those ropes off his wrists."

Speed was there, immediately draping Horatio's shirt and jacket over the bare torso, then wrapping the ends of the blanket around his unmoving legs. Next, he set to work on the ropes.

"He's been bearing all of his weight hanging up there, compromising circulation and airway," Alexx explained softly, pausing a second to make sure Horatio was still breathing. "Fluid accumulates in the lungs... the thing that might have saved him was that his arms weren't spread out at a ninety degrees angle... He'd be dead if they had."

"What about the welts?" Speed asked, the image of Horatio's damaged chest still fresh in his mind. He'd managed to remove the rope from Horatio's left wrist and now moved towards the other.

"Right now?" Alexx said, briefly looking up to meet Speed's worried gaze. "Right now, the only important thing is to keep him breathing and to keep his circulation going. I hope we can manage that until help arrives."

"They're sending a chopper. And Cal and Eric should be here any minute now," Speed said. He had the other rope loose as well and wanted to do something else, something useful, but didn't know what.

"Go and mark the crime scene. There's nothing you can do here," Alexx suggested. "Take care of the kid, too."


	10. Safe at last

_**10. SAFE AT LAST.**_

Eric and Calleigh arrived at the campsite, parking their car next to the Hummer. They'd already been called by Speedle, so they knew a little of what to expect.

While Eric busied himself with helping Speed, Calleigh wasted no time and ran past the cabins. She found Alexx kneeling next to the supine man. The crime lab's EM was still carefully watching out for Horatio's breathing and pulse and talking softly to him the whole time, encouraging him to hang on.

Calleigh immediately dropped at Horatio's other side. She took in the rattling, labored breathing, the grayish, pale color of his otherwise rather pink skin and briefly closed her eyes in despair. "How is he?"

"Still alive," Alexx said curtly. She gently stroked Horatio's arm before placing her fingers back at the right spot on his neck. "You're a real fighter, aren't you?"

Fighting back tears, Calleigh silently stared at the man she secretly loved and reached out to take his cold, clammy hand in hers. "Alexx!" she called out as she saw his eyelids flutter.

"Well, well, well," Alexx commented in surprise. "You're not only a fighter, but determined too..."

Horatio's eyes slowly opened and his dull gaze drifted upwards, staring in confusion at Alexx. He tried his voice, but his tongue was swollen and he couldn't make much of a sound. He tried again. "H..rts."

Alexx nodded in sympathy. "I know it hurts, honey." Without relieving pressure on his forehead she moved her fingers and reassuringly stroked through his hair. "Don't talk. Concentrate on breathing, okay?"

She noticed the change in his breathing as it became more erratic and shallow. She lifted his chin some more and caressed his cheek with her thumb. "Easy. Help is on the way."

He choked. His eyes widened, panic evident in his gaze as he struggled to draw in another haggard breath. His chest was heaving and gargling, he started coughing and coughing, gasping and coughing. The strain was too much on his weakened body and with one last shuddering exhale, his eyes rolled up in his head.

"Alexx!" Calleigh cried out. She tightened her grip on his hand, while her other hand moved to grab and shake his shoulder, but stopped at the last second. "He's not breathing!"

"One thousand, two thousand, three thousand, one," Alexx already pinched his nose shut and blew air into his system for two seconds. "One thousand, two thousand, three thousand, two." She continued ventilating for a minute, then stopped to check him out once more.

Both Calleigh and Alexx sighed in relief at the sound of his labored breathing. Her fingers back at the side of his neck again, Alexx felt for a pulse and gave a faint nod. "There you are."

Again, pain-filled eyes opened and this time Horatio had Calleigh in his view.

Calleigh gently squeezed his hand. "Hi, handsome," she spoke softly. Despite her fear for him, she forced herself to throw him a soft smile. "Don't scare us like that again, will you?"

"So..rr," he slurred.

"Shh, don't talk," Calleigh whispered. "Just look at me and breath with me, okay? In... and out." She held his gaze and found a rhythm that he was able to hold. "Good. That's it. In... and out."

Alexx looked in satisfaction how her patient relaxed a bit and seemed to be able to continue breathing on his own.

A few moments later, the chopper had apparently landed nearby as three medics were rushing to them. The emergency doctor immediately repeated the checks for breathing and circulation, then ordered for an oxygen mask and portable IV's.

Alexx moved out of the way but Calleigh stayed where she was, holding Horatio's hand and her eyes never leaving his. He didn't seem to notice all the commotion around him, as he held on to her gaze for dear life. Only when they were ready to lift Horatio onto the gurney did she let go of his hand. "It's gonna be okay, Horatio. You're going to be fine," she whispered in his ear before getting up and stepping aside.

The two women stood watching how their boss and friend was loaded onto the gurney. Blankets were arranged around him before he was strapped securely to the board and then the medics turned to take him away to the waiting helicopter.

"I'm going with them," Calleigh said, her voice making it clear she wouldn't take no for an answer, and then rushed after them.

XXX-XXX-XXX

Eric and Speed had successfully taped off the cabin of Ned Sante's parents as a crime scene. It was hard for them to concentrate, however, knowing that Horatio was fighting for his life just a stone's throw away.

When the chopper had arrived, the two crime scene investigators had wasted no time in directing the medical personnel in the right direction. Only moments later, they stood silently, watching as the crew rushed back to the chopper, the gurney with the motionless body of their boss strapped on it between them. A silhouette of somebody familiar, the blond hair dancing behind her, was closely following the medics.

"Cal's going with him," Eric stated the obvious.

"Good for her," Speed agreed, a faint smile forming at his lips at the thought of a determined Calleigh getting what she wanted. "There should be somebody with him."

"Let's find Alexx," Eric said. "I can't do anything here at the moment. I just can't concentrate."

Together they headed to where they knew Alexx would be. She was still standing silently, and didn't respond to their approach.

Eric stared at the scene, took in the ropes scattered over the forest ground, then his eyes found the humming figure that sat, completely withdrawn in himself.

"Alexx?" Speed asked, drawing the ME's attention. "How was he?"

Alexx looked up. Her colleagues were looking expectantly at her, demanding a straight answer. "Look," she started. "I'm not going to lie to you. Horatio has been hanging by these ropes for many hours. It has compromised his circulation and breathing, he had lots of fluid build up in his lungs. He went into circulatory collapse, cardiac and respiratory arrest... Honestly, I'm amazed he was still alive when we found him."

"What about... the welts," Eric asked with hesitation, remembering what Speed had told him.

"I honestly don't know," Alexx said. "I haven't had the time to check him out. I noticed there were welts on his chest, and his back was a mess. I think his left shoulder was dislocated too, but like I said earlier to Speed, at that moment it was the least of our problems."

"Will he survive?" Speed asked the obvious question that was on everyone's mind.

"It all depends on the extent of his injuries," Alexx said. "I'm sorry, but that's all I can give you. Did you get anything out of the kid?" She motioned in the direction of the young man on the ground.

"No," Speed shook his head. "He was pretty unresponsive. I think you better talk to him. I'm going to call Tripp." With that, he took out his cell phone and started dialing.

Alexx faced Eric. "I'm going to talk to Ned here. You better start working on the scene. We need to catch them and we need to catch them fast."

Eric silently nodded, forcing himself to concentrate and start processing the scene.

Alexx sat down next to the younger man. "Ned? How are you holding up?"

Ned stopped rocking but didn't lift his head. "This is wrong," he muttered.

"Yes, it is," Alexx agreed. She deliberately kept her voice calm and gentle. "But Ned, Lieutenant Caine was still alive. Let's hope he'll survive, okay?"

"I... I can't..." Ned continued, each word followed by a soft sob. "He told us we had to do this. For Theresa."

Alexx frowned. "Who told you that?"

"Barbosa. Trade one soul for another, he said. Professor Metzger would have expected us to do this, he said."

"So... what exactly did you do?" Alexx asked, shuddering at the hold the Professor and that Colombian man had on those kids. "It is important for us to know."

"Ginny..." Ned lifted his head and stared at the black-haired woman for the first time. His eyes were reddened, his gaze distant. "Ginny distracted the Lieutenant. John and Mitch grabbed him, I think they used chloroform... Barbosa had a car waiting and brought him here."

"Did he, was he present the whole time?" Alexx was finding it hard to stay detached. This was her friend they were talking about.

"No. John was taking the lead. We waited until midnight. Dressed up, brought the candles out and dragged Lt. Caine out here and hauled him up in the trees."

This gave Alexx some idea about the passage of time. Given what time they had found Horatio he had been hanging there for about eleven hours. She flinched. That was way too long, she didn't dare think about what he'd been going through all that time.

"He was supposed to break," Ned whispered. He dropped his head back on this arms. "They were wrong. He didn't."

"What do you mean?"

"They said any human being would beg for mercy in the end."

"But he didn't," Alexx nodded. Knowing Horatio, that didn't surprise her.

"He kept trying to tell us that we were still under the Professor's control." Ned looked up again, a look of sheer desperation on his face. "They were beating him with chains and whips and still he remained in control! He was right! We were wrong. How can I ever look at myself again?"

"Where are the other students now, Ned?" Alexx asked. She took in his hesitation. When he made no attempt to answer, she continued. "There is no way you can undo what has happened, Ned, but you can start making the right choices from now on. And the first you need to do is help us bring the other students in."

He stared at her, as if slowly processing his options. "We're going to jail, aren't we?" His eyes never leaving the gentle woman next to him, he sighed. "They're after another dog. They will lynch it tonight. They'll be back..."

"Why didn't you go with them?" Alexx wondered.

"I couldn't..." Ned stammered. "It was wrong. The Lieutenant was right. I want my life back."

Alexx, her face grim, thought it was a bit late for that, but refrained from commenting. "I'm going to talk to my colleague, and then you're coming downtown with us, okay?"

He simply nodded.


	11. Processing the scene

_**A/N: **_No, we're not there yet! Let's see what we've got.... we've got an Horatio, who's not feeling so hot, we have a Calleigh who's worried sick, we have the guys who are very angry and we have poor Frank who's worried about how to catch those students.... I hope you're still enjoying this. My thanks goes to the reviewers.... and now on with the story.

_**  
11. PROCESSING THE SCENE. **_

Tim Speed and Eric Delko were still processing the scene, when Detective Frank Tripp and his men arrived.

"Hi," Tripp greeted the criminologists, his eyes scanning the scene. "We've done a pretty rough search around this area, but came up empty. The rangers will keep their eyes open and I'll be the first to know if they find anything. What have you got?"

"There's a cabin back there," Speed started, pointing in the right direction. "It's owned by Ned Sante's parents. Inside, I've found H's shirt and jacket, so I guess they have kept him there last night."

"Anything else inside?" Tripp wanted to know.

"Wooden floor, oak... No visible traces of a struggle. We're going to comb it later. The path down here is muddy, but we think at least six or more people crossed it last night. No useable foot prints, though." Speed's face showed his frustration.

Eric pointed with his hand. "Over there we found the ground flattened, and there's several footprints. We've taken samples of them. I think the group was standing there, watching, as one or two of them..." Eric briefly looked at the branch where his boss had been hanging and was unable to finish his sentence.

Tripp threw one glance at Alexx Woods and the young man, seated near a tree, then stepped forward to study the way the ropes were scattered over the ground. "So you found him here?"

"Uh, yeah," Speed responded, moving a bit closer. "They'd tied a rope around Horatio's chest and hauled him over this branch," he indicated the right spot. "Then there were also ropes around his wrists, which they had tied to those trees."

The parts of the ropes still lying on the ground confirmed Speed's explanation. "We've probably damaged the scene..." Speed apologized.

"You were saving H's life," Frank said sharply. "We'll just have to work with what we got. We're going to get them. I swear we are going to get them."

His face set to a grim mask Tripp threw one last look up at the tree, then turned. "So the kid thinks the rest will be back tonight, huh?"

Eric nodded. "That's what he told Alexx. Why?"

"Would you?" Tripp threw him a quick look, then glanced at his watch. "Still... we'll be ready. Are you guys done here?"

"I just need to bag the ropes and then we're going back to the cabin," confirmed Speed. "What about Barbosa?"

"My sources told me that Barbosa has left the country on an early flight this morning. He's back in Colombia."

"Shit," Eric cursed.

"We'll get him. Someday," Frank promised. "The moment he sets another foot in this state he'll be in jail so fast he won't know what hit him. Okay, you guys just finish up here. I'm going to instruct my men, then I'll escort Alexx and the boy back to the department." He pointed casually to the student still sitting on the ground. "I want to have a little talk to this man."

XXX-XXX-XXX

Calleigh Duquesne was pacing in the family waiting room at the hospital. She'd been waiting for almost three hours now and she was getting impatient, let alone worried sick.

In her hand, she had her fifth cup of coffee, taken from the machine in the corner of the waiting room. It was almost cold, but she sipped it nevertheless.

Familiar clicking of heels drew her attention to the door. "Alexx," she called out, rushing forward to meet her team mate.

"Frank just dropped me off. Any news yet?"

Calleigh shook her head. "It's taking ages," she muttered.

Alexx grabbed hold of her hand and squeezed it gently. "Hey, let's think of that as a good sign. If he'd died, they would have been out here to tell us."

Calleigh simply nodded and stared at her friend, who headed for the coffee machine to get her own cup of caffeine. "So, what have you guys been up to?"

Alexx waited for the black liquid to stop dripping in her cup, then took it in her hand. Motioning with her head, she guided Calleigh with her and sat down. When Calleigh sat next to her, Alexx started to fill her in.

She was barely finished when a dark-haired man in a white doctor's robe entered the room. "Mrs. Caine?"

"Uhm... no, actually I am Miss Duquesne. I came in with Lieutenant Caine," Calleigh responded, jumping off from her chair.

"So you're not family?" the doctor asked, throwing a questioning glance at both women.

Alexx, also standing now, stepped forward, reaching out her hand. "Hello. My name is Alexx Woods. I'm the ME from the MD police department and a close colleague of Lieutenant Caine. Miss Duquesne also works at our department." She shook the doctor's hand, showed him her ID and looked him straight in the eyes when she continued. "I'm afraid Lieutenant Caine has no relatives, we're the closest to family he's got."

"Well, all right then," the doctor agreed after glancing at the ID. "My name is Dr. Stevenson. Let's sit down." He waited for the women to sit down, took his file and opened it up then carefully picked a seat so he could face them both.

"Were either of you present when the Lieutenant was found?" he started.

Alexx nodded. "I'm the one who found him. Shortly after we got him down the Lieutenant went into circulatory collapse, followed by cardiac arrest. I've performed CPR, which brought him back. A little while later, he went in respiratory arrest, but again, I managed to keep him breathing until the medics arrived."

The doctor threw her a faint smile. "Good job. This means you were aware of the pleural effusion. The Lieutenant's oxygen saturation was too low, so we've performed a thoracentesis and drained almost fourteen hundred milliliters of fluid, after which his breathing has much improved. We have your colleague on oxygen along with some medication to help him breath and to dry up secretions. We've also used some epinephrine to stimulate his heart, and the machines are monitoring his vital functions but he's able to hold on so far. I understand Lieutenant Caine has been hanging by ropes in a tree. For how long?"

"Approximately eleven hours," Alexx answered.

The doctor's eyes widened before he returned his gaze to the file on his lap. "Unbelievable," he commented. "That explains the symptoms of exposure. We've got the hypothermia under control and carefully have been giving him intravenous fluids to treat the dehydration. He has also received one unit of blood to restore his volume. It was touch and go there for a while."

Stevenson looked up to see two concerned faces waiting for him to continue. "We've just run some tests. MRI's, X-rays... there's no head injuries and no damage to his vital organs. However, three ribs are cracked. Plus, the Lieutenant's lower legs are badly bruised and swollen. I assume he has been hit by something heavy."

"A chain," Alexx said, remembering Ned telling her some details.

Dr. Stevenson gave a faint nod. "We found a fracture on the left shin. Also, four toes of the left foot are broken."

"Oh, my," Calleigh looked shocked.

Alexx just nodded, thinking back how her touching Horatio's left foot had been the first sign that he was still alive.

"Both Lieutenant Caine's back and front are covered with abrasions and welts. Some are minimal, some deep and will have to be stitched. There's some marks on the left arm and there's extensive bruising to the ribcage as well, as if something heavier was used on that side. That's what probably cracked his ribs, but fortunately, without further internal damage. Also, we've had to relocate the Lieutenant's left shoulder. I'm guessing that shoulder has been dislocated before... I don't think it will become a problem."

He paused briefly, and closed the file on his lap. "The rope burns on his armpits and wrists, while painful, will heal perfectly given time. This leaves my last worry. Muscle and nerve damage."

"What damage?" Calleigh hurried to ask.

"When somebody is tied up for that long, circulation will be impaired. The Lieutenant's arms have suffered from the lack of blood and oxygen and we just need to see how much damage has been done. Maybe, with extensive therapy, all movement will eventually return, but at the moment, I can't really tell."

"Alexx?" Calleigh turned to her friend, her eyes wide.

Alexx placed a hand on Calleigh's thigh. "Sweetie, calm down. Like the doctor said, we just have to wait and see, okay?" She wished she had more to reassure her colleague, but at the moment, she didn't have it.

"Can we see him?" Calleigh resolutely turned her head and looked at the doctor.

He shook his head. "Not yet. At the moment, my staff is straightening out his toes and putting a cast around his leg. Then they're going to disinfect and stitch the welts and clean up the rope burns. That's going to take a while. I suggest you both go and grab something to eat. You can come back later."

Rising to his feet, the doctor shook hands and then left.

Calleigh simply turned to Alexx and sobbed on her friend's shoulder. Alexx just hugged her, gently rubbing her back.

XXX-XXX-XXX

After dropping Alexx off at the hospital, Frank Tripp had taken Ned Sante to the interrogation room.

The conversation with Ned didn't give the detective any more information. Instead, it left Tripp wondering what to do with the nervous young man. He didn't have any evidence to hold against the student, and he also didn't have a statement from Horatio yet. Also, it was clear to the detective that he really needed to catch the other students. After talking the different scenarios through that Ned would have to face as soon as the bureau had more against Metzger's class, Tripp was confident the kid wouldn't run off. The detective arranged an escort to take Ned home after giving him strict orders to stay at home, definitely not leave Miami and call in sick at the University.

Later that afternoon, Eric and Speed returned from Chekika. While Speed received a phone call, Eric met Frank Tripp in the lab.

"Anything?" Eric asked curiously, referring to Tripp's conversation with the student.

"No new information," Tripp said, shaking his head. "I guess we'll just have to see what happens tonight. What about the cabin?"

"It was empty. Guess Ned Sante's parents weren't planning to come there this summer. We've got fingerprints from the door, and from the inside. Hairs from the floor, including red ones, which no doubt belong to Horatio."

"Let's hope there are prints of those students amongst the ones you've found," Tripp said. "That would tie them to the scene."

"Then the entry was muddy, as if somebody with dirty shoes or boots had marched in recently. There were traces of somebody being dragged along, but I couldn't get any useable prints."

"Hmm. Hopefully the hairs and fingerprints will do." Tripp looked up at Speed, who entered the lab.

"That was Alexx," Speed informed the others, then gave them a brief summary of what their ME had told him.

Hearing the gruesome details of his boss's injuries, Eric clenched and unclenched his fists, barely able to control his anger.

Tripp looked grim. "We're going to get them, gentlemen. Hopefully Horatio will be awake enough to tell me something tomorrow. With his statement and Ned Sante's testimony we have a pretty solid case. For now, you keep working on the evidence. Get me something. Anything."

The two crime scene investigators nodded determinedly.

"Oh," Tripp called over his shoulder as he was almost out of the lab. "My team has brought the Hummer in, from the University. Check it out too. Maybe we get lucky."

XXX-XXX-XXX

It was late afternoon, when Alexx and Calleigh arrived back in the hospital. They'd gone out for a late lunch, both of them too lost in her thoughts to start a real conversation.

"Hello," Alexx approached the desk in the ICU and greeted the nurse. "We're the friends of Lieutenant Caine. Dr. Stevenson had told us to come back around this time. Can we see him?"

The nurse eyed the two women, then looked at her chart. "Hmm, yes. Mr. Caine has been brought to room 357. Down this hall," she pointed into the right direction. "Fifth room on the left. Mr. Caine is sleeping, though."

"We won't disturb him," Calleigh reassured the nurse. "We'll just sit there for a while."

The nurse gave them an affirmative nod, and the two women strolled down the hall.

"Oh, ma'am?" the nurse called after them. The two ladies from the crime lab turned around. The nurse held a plastic bag in her hand, gesturing. "I was told to give you this." She waited until Calleigh stepped closer, taking the bag from her. "It's a little piece of something they found in the patient's back. They said it might be important."

Calleigh smiled. "Thank you. We'll take it back to the crime lab." She then turned around and followed Alexx down the hall.

Alexx carefully opened the door of room 357 and they both silently stepped inside.

Horatio had a private room. The head-rest of the bed was slightly elevated and three monitors above the bed made soft beeping sounds. Alexx immediately started reading the signs, while Calleigh simply stood staring at the deadly silent figure on the bed.

Horatio's red hair stood out in the white surroundings of the room. The white walls, the light grayish floor, the white bed sheets, even Horatio's skin lacked all color, making the contrast with his hair shocking. An oxygen mask covered the lower part of his face and several lines were attached to him to monitor his condition and evenly administer fluids and medication into his system. His chest was bare, besides the numerous bandages and gauze covering the rope burns and welts. Dark patches underneath the various bandages showed the bruised ribcage. His left shoulder was wrapped in ice-packs and gauze covered the abraded wrists.

A white sheet covered the Lieutenant from the waist down, a metal construction over the foot end preventing it from touching the injured legs and foot. Looking up, Calleigh saw the fan on the ceiling, turning about silently and steadily, creating a soft breeze in the otherwise hot room.

She softly drew a chair closer to the bed and sat down. "Alexx?" she whispered.

Alexx gave her a reassuring smile. "His breathing has much improved. His heart-beat is sufficient now. His temperature is back to normal, and so are his oxygen levels. All in all, he's doing as well as can be expected, Cal."

Calleigh let out a sigh of relief. Like Alexx had done, she wanted to run her hand through his hair, but figured that would be kind of inappropriate. This was her boss, after all. Instead, she placed her hand over his. The cool and clamminess she'd found there earlier that day was gone now.

Following the IV line from the pole to Horatio's other hand, Calleigh faced Alexx. "What are they giving him?"

"Bronchodilators, to open his airway," Alexx started. She took another chair and sat down on the other side of the bed. "Probably some corticosteroids, also to assist his breathing. A muscle relaxant, antibiotics and something for the pain."

Calleigh looked back to the silent figure on the bed and sighed. "I should have gone with him."

"Oh, honey. Don't do that to yourself. There's no way of knowing what would have happened if you had been with him at the time."

"I know," Calleigh muttered. "But I can't stop wondering."

"Which isn't helping Horatio, nor you. Now let's concentrate on his condition and on catching the ones who did this, okay? I assume you want to stay for a while?" Alexx asked gently.

The blond woman nodded. "I need to be here, Alexx. I want him to see a familiar face when he wakes up. I'm staying."

XXX-XXX-XXX

Detective Tripp took no chances. He brought sixteen officers with him when he returned to Chekika late afternoon. Along with the five men who had remained there covering the area earlier that day it brought the total of officers to twenty-two. It was only six PM when they had taken in their positions at the campsite. There were enough officers to have the cabin and the crime scene area widely surrounded.

It was going to be a long night.

XXX-XXX-XXX

Around ten PM that evening Horatio Caine stirred.

Calleigh, still taking vigil beside his bed, sat up straight and anxiously waited for him to wake up. He'd been semi-awake before, when the nurses came in to reposition him in the bed, after urging him to cough and to take a deep breath. He'd just about managed to do as requested before drifting off again.

This time, it seemed he was waking up on his own, though. Calleigh didn't have to wait for long. The eyelids fluttered, then opened, and confused eyes blinked a few times before making eye contact with her.

"Hi, there," Calleigh smiled, once more grabbing Horatio's hand. She wasn't sure how coherent he was, his pupils were dilated and she saw no immediate recognition in his eyes. She continued with a soft voice. "You're in the hospital. Everything is going to be all right."

He attempted to say something, but the oxygen mask made it impossible for Calleigh to understand.

"Shh," she instructed. "Don't talk. Alexx was here and has just left. It's ten PM, and you need to rest."

She noticed he was tiring already, the medication probably making him drowsy. "It's okay. Go back to sleep and I'll be back tomorrow morning, okay?" Smiling encouragingly, she waited.

His eyes drifted shut as sleep claimed him.

Only once she was certain he was sound asleep did she let go of his hand. Satisfied he hadn't woken up alone, Calleigh now felt safe to leave the hospital. She'd be back first thing in the morning.


	12. Back to school

_**12. BACK TO SCHOOL. **_

Frank Tripp and his men spent the whole night out in the open at Chekika campsite. It got chilly during the night, and the men kept themselves awake by drinking lots of coffee. They had set up their stake-outs in a wide circle around the Sante's cabin and the location where Horatio Caine had been found.

As Frank had predicted, however, none of the students showed up. The detective waited until six in the morning, then called it a night. They all went home, in order to get a few hours of quality sleep.

XXX-XXX-XXX

"Morning," Eric Delko greeted his colleagues the next morning.

Alexx and Tim Speed were already in, sipping their coffee. "Morning," they said in unison.

"Have you been to the hospital yet?" Eric asked Alexx while he sat down at the same table.

The coroner shook her head. "I'm pretty sure Calleigh is going. I still have this autopsy to finish, so I figured I would stop by later today."

"Yeah, me too," Speed agreed. "So... how was he, really, Alexx?"

"Well... the good news is that he survived this ordeal. That's the most important step. With all of his injuries, it's now going to be a long road to recovery. But so far, it's looking good."

"He'll get cranky," Eric muttered, remembering another time, another place where things didn't quite go as planned.

"Me, too," Speed added. "The bureau is sending Lieutenant Willis as head of the crime lab for the time being. I don't know about you, but I prefer H above anything."

Alexx smiled. "Oh, we'll manage." She was going to say something else, but the phone interrupted her.

Speed answered it. "You are kidding?" he asked, mock surprise evident in his voice. "No, don't tell them anything. We'll talk this through here and then we'll probably come over." He paused, listening intently, then finished. "Okay. Thank you, sir."

"What was that?" Alexx wondered.

"That was Dean Hernandez," Speed said, a frown still etched on his face. "He called to inform us that Professor Metzger's class is back at the University, attending their next course that was scheduled for this morning. They're all there, minus Ned Sante, who has been called in sick. As we all know."

Eric's eyes spat fire. "Wanna go and pick the whole bunch up?"

"I'd love to," agreed Speed. "But that wouldn't be a smart move. Let's wait for Frank and decide what to do then."

"Good choice," nodded Alexx. "The poor man is probably still asleep. Didn't he spend the whole night at Chekika campsite? I bet the students didn't show up there."

"Nah," Eric said. "He wasn't really expecting them to. Okay, Speed. Let's finish that other murder case, it's nearly wrapped up. Then, when Frank comes in, we can concentrate on this one."

XXX-XXX-XXX

Calleigh walked into the ICU early that morning. She'd slept for a couple of hours, then taken a quick shower and decided to go and see Horatio first before going to work.

When she entered his room, she found him awake, grimacing as he tried to shift into another position. He quickly replaced the grimace with a weak smile when he spotted her.

"Well, good morning to you," Calleigh brightly greeted him. "You're looking better than yesterday."

"I am?" he asked in a raspy voice.

Calleigh grinned. Studying him, she thought he looked like death warmed over, but, compared to yesterday, he was responsive, some color had returned to his cheeks, his breathing didn't make that awful wet noise anymore and the oxygen mask had been replaced by a nasal cannula.

She sat down on the same chair she'd spent many hours on the other day. "So... How are you feeling?"

"Honestly?" He barely managed to throw a look at her before his eyelids drooped shut, his eyes rolling slightly beneath them.

Calleigh bent forward, trying to determine if he'd drifted off, but then she heard him answering quietly. "Could be better."

"Hmmm," she chuckled, while grabbing his hand. "It could have been worse. You did come very close to dying, you know." She squeezed his hand, and noticed that he didn't return the gesture.

"I did, didn't I?" he asked softly. He stared at the long fingers that were clasping his hand.

"Yeah. Alexx said you're a real fighter," Calleigh responded. She gently stroked her thumb over the back of his hand. "Do you remember anything?"

"Only of..." Horatio didn't finish that sentence. "Other than that... only vague images... you found me."

"Actually, Alexx and Speed did. It was Speed's idea, they were following a wild guess that turned out to be the right choice."

"Good job." Concentrating on the conversation was difficult and he was already getting tired. He tried to respond to Calleigh's gesture by squeezing her hand back, but couldn't manage. It frustrated him, and he closed his eyes.

She felt a slight twinge of his fingers and suddenly remembered Dr. Stevenson and Alexx explaining yesterday about some possible nerve and muscle damage. "Oh, I completely forgot!" she blurted out, startling him. "I'm sorry, do you need anything? Can I get you some water?"

Without waiting for a response she simply grabbed the glass from the night stand and held it close to his mouth, pushing the straw between his lips.

He sipped, and licked his still dry lips. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Do you..." she hesitated, not sure if now was a good time to ask him. "Do you know who assaulted you?"

"They wore robes," Horatio said softly. He opened his eyes briefly and looked at her. "Their faces were covered."

"But it was the students, right?" Calleigh asked.

"I'd say so, but that isn't enough, is it?"

Calleigh bit her lip, then forced herself to smile at him. "No, but you always say that the evidence will tell the truth. We'll get them."

She sat, watching his eyes close once more. He was exhausted, and she could tell this brief conversation had completely worn him out. "You know, I still have lots to do in the lab. Why don't you go back to sleep for a while, and we will visit you in the afternoon, okay?"

He didn't answer. He was fast asleep again.

XXX-XXX-XXX

Frank Tripp arrived somewhere around ten A.M., his eyes slightly swollen and dark circles under them from the lack of sleep. He took the cup of coffee, handed to him by Eric, with a thankful nod. "I needed that."

"Long night, huh?" Eric stated in sympathy.

"Yeah. We stayed until six this morning. Nothing happened." Tripp looked around. "So who's going to replace H?"

"Willis," Eric said. "He's coming tomorrow. We're to finish the other case we were on and then concentrate on this one." He motioned with his hand. "Come on. Let's get to the others."

Together, they entered the lab where both Calleigh and Speed were busy. They looked up, almost saying "good morning" at the same time.

"Hmm," commented Tripp, who hadn't decided yet how good the morning really was. "So, what's new?"

"I went to see Horatio this morning," Calleigh started with the most important news. "He was awake for a while, but talking was still too much effort. His breathing has much improved, however, so that's good news."

"I'm glad to hear that," Tripp said, throwing her a thankful smile.

"The bad news is that Horatio didn't see who attacked him. He said they wore robes, covering their faces."

"That's not good," Tripp's face showed frustration. "Did he tell you with how many they were?"

Calleigh shook her head. "He was already worn out by the conversation so I didn't ask. He drifted off to sleep. But Horatio's cell phone had the fingerprints of Jenny Connors on it. She's one of the students. That's something."

"Plus we've got Ned Sante's testimony," Speed added.

"Yes, but that's not enough," Tripp answered. "First, we found the cell phone somewhere else, so this lady could easily come up with an excuse. And Ned Sante... Liability, you know? The kid is falling apart under our noses. Imagine what would happen in court. I've sent him home."

"You did what?" Speedle couldn't believe what he just heard.

"I can't hold him, Speed. Was he really there? Was he there willingly, or did the others force him to watch? Who were the others? We only have his statement," Tripp explained.

"So we need more," Eric joined in. "The evidence will reveal the truth."

"Let's hope so," Frank agreed. "I'm pretty confident Ned Sante won't run."

"I've been working on those prints and hairs. The red hairs, as we expected, were H's. Some others matched Ned Sante, and his family. Then we still have some unidentified ones. The same goes for the prints from the cabin. What we need is a DNA sample and prints from the students," Speed told.

"Then we have some foot prints, so I guess we better go and start looking for matching boots," Eric continued. "And guess what? The kids are back at the University, attending the next class."

"What?" Tripp looked up, surprised.

Speed gave an affirmative nod. "Yeah, really. Dean Hernandez called us this morning to tell us. You wanna go and bring them in?"

"What we need, and will do, is bring them in," Tripp agreed, then shook his head briefly, his eyes shooting fire. "What I want is another matter."

"Oh," Calleigh called out as she suddenly remembered something. "And I've got this piece of evidence." She held out the small plastic bag with a tiny piece of dark red material in it. "This is what we got from the hospital. Apparently, this was embedded in Horatio's back."

"Okay. Find out what it is," Tripp ordered. "Speed, can you finish that murder case by yourself this morning? We don't want to piss off Willis on his first day..." He waited for Speed's nod, then turned to Eric. "You and I are going to Cabrerra University and pick up some students. We won't tell them that we found Horatio, let alone that he survived. Shall we?"

XXX-XXX-XXX

The first student in the interrogation room was Mitchell Robins. He was seated on one side of the table, while Eric sat opposite to him. Frank Tripp remained standing.

"So, Mister Robins. Why did you miss class yesterday?" Eric started the conversation.

"We... we were camping. We all agreed the class planned for that day wasn't appealing enough for us to return, so we stayed another day."

"We? Who is we?" Eric asked.

"Well, me and the other students from our class."

"You mean all students from Professor Metzger's class?"

"Yes."

"Including Ned Sante? I understood he called in sick?"

"Yes. He was also with us. Why? Is skipping class a crime?" The younger man shot a challenging look across the table.

"No. And we'll ask the questions," Tripp interrupted sharply.

Mitch shrugged.

"Where's this campsite?" Eric continued his questioning.

"Larry and Thompson campground."

"Can anybody confirm your presence?" Tripp wanted to know.

Mitch leaned back in his chair, as if thinking for a second. "Well, yeah. The campsite's owner... We did have to pay him, you know."

"When did you arrive there?"

"Err... we left straight after class on Tuesday... around four or five in the afternoon."

"And you stayed there until...?" Eric questioned.

"We drove back to the University early this morning. Yesterday night we had a big barbeque party, with a volleyball game. We stayed up kinda late. Why?"

"Have you left the campsite at any time?" Eric ignored the younger man's question and continued with his own.

"No. Well, yes. We, that's Ginny and I, we went grocery shopping yesterday morning. There's this local supermarket close-by... we picked up some stuff for the barbeque," Mitch explained.

"Do you also camp at other areas?" Frank again joined in, changing the subject.

"Well, yeah."

"Well?" Tripp looked at the suspect. "What areas?"

"Err... We did camp at Chekika campground. You know, Ned, one of the other students... his parents have a cabin there and they let us use it. But that area is closed now, due to the high water."

"When was the last time you went there?" Eric demanded.

"Before the heavy rain fall, I guess. Must have been two weeks ago. Then there's the Long Pine Key campground, we've been there as well. Look, can you at least tell me why I'm being questioned like this?"

"We have a missing police officer, and we have reason to believe that you and your friends have something to do with his disappearance," Frank explained without revealing too much.

"What?" Mitch asked, the surprise in his voice sounding legitimate. "I'm sorry to hear that, Detective. But I've got nothing to do with anybody's disappearance."

"Good," Tripp said briskly. "In that case you won't mind that we take a DNA sample from you, plus some fingerprints and we're also going to need a print of your shoes."

"Err... if that's what it takes to rule me out as a suspect," Mitch said, hesitation in his voice. "Sure."

XXX-XXX-XXX


	13. Not enough

_**13. NOT ENOUGH.**_

"All right," Frank Tripp started later that afternoon. "Let's see what we've got."

They were all gathered in the lab. Eric, Speed, Calleigh, Alexx and Frank himself. "Speed?" Tripp gave the younger man the first turn.

"Okay... I've wrapped up that other case and archived the files... I've been working on the Hummer. Nothing unusual, neither on the inside, nor on the outside. I'm pretty sure they haven't touched it." Speed shrugged, hating he didn't have more. "That took all of my time."

"Calleigh?"

"I have analyzed that piece of material we got from the hospital. It is a little piece of dark red leather, and, interestingly enough, it's kangaroo hide."

"Kangaroo hide?" Eric frowned.

"Yes. I did some checking, and guess what?" Calleigh's eyes lit up, like they always did when she discovered something. "Some bull whips are made of kangaroo leather. There are a few places in the States where you can get them, but mostly they are imported from Australia. I also found traces of petroleum lubricant and beeswax on the evidence, which..."

"... Is leather dressing, to maintain the moisture level," Eric filled in.

"Exactly." Calleigh nodded and grabbed some pictures from the desk and laid them out for everybody to see. "A bull whip consists of four parts. First, the butt. About eight inches long, more or less one diameter thick, depending on the user's grip. Then we have the tail itself," she pointed at the matching picture. "This is made of twelve or even sixteen plait overlay leather. At the end, we have a fall and a so-called cracker. Those are to take the force of the blow, to prevent the tail from damaging."

"And?" Alexx wondered, as she stared at the items Calleigh was pointing out.

"The cracker, at the end, is made of nylon. The fall, however, is made of kangaroo strands, and after multiple usages, it will break at the ends. At some points, the fall will have to be replaced by a new one. There are two types of falls, white and dark red ones. The dark red falls have a tendency to wear down faster that the white ones."

"So this piece of evidence is from a fall from a bull whip?" Speed asked.

"Well, based on the status of Horatio's back... I think so, yes. The person who did this..." she shivered involuntarily, "must have hit Horatio with the fall at least once. Alexx?"

"It makes sense," agreed the ME. "I only got a glimpse at Horatio's back but I'm pretty sure those welts are caused by some kind of whip."

"Okay," concluded Tripp. "We have an idea on a weapon that's been used. So now we have to find it."

"Or, since Calleigh said those things are mostly imported from Australia," Eric suggested, "we can dig into the students' financial situation and see if any of them has bought something from there."

"We should also check their computers. Including the ones they could have used at the University," Speed added. "Maybe we can trace the order. Many imports nowadays are simply ordered thru the internet."

"All right," Tripp nodded in agreement. "I'll call in some favors to get access to those computers. You guys get to the banking information first thing in the morning. Check those stores in the US as well. And was there a whip amongst the Professor's toys? How about that leather dressing?"

"We'll check that out as well and bring it in if we find it. What about the interrogations?" Speed asked curiously.

Tripp threw him a grim look. "We've talked to four students now. They all gave the same story. They were camping at the Larry and Penny Thompson Campground. And haven't left the area. So if they are backing each other up..."

"Do we have evidence that puts them at Chekika?" Speed asked.

"I still need to match their prints and DNA to the evidence we got from the cabin," Eric explained. "But they also told us they have been camping there a few weeks ago. This gives them a perfect excuse to have left prints behind."

"So that will not be good enough, people. By the looks of it, it's eleven statements against one. We need more." Tripp didn't like it one bit.

"Horatio says criminals all make mistakes somewhere. They will, and we will find it," Calleigh stated confidently.

Hesitant, Tripp nodded. "Let's hope so. Eric and Speed, I want you to go to this campground and check out their story. If there's a hole in it, I want to know about it. We'll continue interrogating the others in the morning. Ladies... let's go and see how H is doing."

XXX-XXX-XXX

Eric and Speed arrived at the Larry and Penny Thompson Park shortly before the evening fell. "We better hurry," Eric said while parking the Hummer.

"We can always come back tomorrow morning," Speed reasoned. "Let's see what we can find out. There's a visitor's center. We'll start there."

The two men walked over to the small building at the entrance of the campsite. Eric pushed the door open and they stepped inside. A man in his late fifties or early sixties looked up from the counter. "Good evening. What can I do for you?"

"Hi, there. We're from the MD crime lab," Eric started and showed the man his ID. "We want to ask you a few questions, if that's okay."

Surprised, the man looked at Eric's badge. "Sure."

"On Tuesday afternoon, a group of students came to this campsite and spent two nights here. They were with twelve people. Do you know which group I'm referring to?"

The man nodded. "Yes. They've set up camp at the far east of the campsite. Really nice kids. They played volleyball and joined the barbeque party last night..."

"Do you remember what time they arrived on Tuesday?" Speed asked.

The man looked inside his logbook. "Hmm. Here it says that they came in around five in the afternoon. They checked out early this morning."

"Did they stay here at the campsite all the time?" Eric wanted to know.

The man shrugged. "Now that's something that I don't know. I can't possibly keep an eye on everybody the whole time, can I? They came, and paid when they left. No trouble, nothing."

"Is there security during the nights?" Speed asked, throwing a quick glance at his colleague.

"Actually, yes. I have three security guards, who work in shifts. Two of them march through the campsite each night."

"Can we talk to them?" Speed asked.

"I guess so. They'll come in," the man threw a glance at his watch, "in another hour or two."

"Okay. Did you rent the spot where the students have stayed to anybody else today?" Eric questioned. At the man's shaking of the head, he continued. "We're going to take a look around there, then. We'll be back here in two hours to talk to the guards. How do we reach this particular spot?"

The man took a map of the campsite out of a drawer and drew the directions on there with his pencil. "There you go. I'll be right here if you have any more questions."

"Thank you, sir," Speed smiled. With that, the two crime lab detectives left the center and went in search of the students' spot.

XXX-XXX-XXX

Back at the hospital, Alexx Woods went to talk to the doctor to get an update on Horatio's condition.

Calleigh and Frank Tripp went ahead and stepped inside Horatio's room, only to find him sleeping, positioned slightly on his right side. They silently took a chair and sat down, waiting.

Shortly after, Alexx came in. Whispering, she gave them an update. "The doctor said Horatio's breathing and circulation have sufficiently recovered. The fluid in his lungs has cleared up and there are no signs of new fluid building up. They'll move him from the ICU tomorrow morning. The abrasions and welts on his chest and back, along with the shoulder injury and the fractured shin are making lying pretty uncomfortable, however, so they are keeping him slightly sedated. That's why he sleeps so much."

"He's aware of our presence, though," Calleigh said, pointing to the bed.

Horatio had apparently registered people talking as he shifted slightly. Alexx moved closer until she was within eyesight and took Horatio's hand in hers. "Hey, sugar. Can you open those eyes for us?" She watched the fluttering eyelids, then smiled as they opened and blue, dazed eyes met her gaze. "That's it, honey. How are you doing?"

Giving her a weak smile, Horatio considered the question for a second. "Tired," he croaked.

"That's okay. Sleeping is the best you can do right now," Alexx reassured him gently. "Frank is here, though. He wants to ask you a few questions. You think you can try and answer them?"

He gave a faint nod.

Alexx turned to Tripp. "A few minutes, Frank." She stepped aside, allowing Tripp to move closer and she sat down at the foot end, ready to interrupt the conversation when she'd think it was necessary.

"Hi, H," Frank greeted his friend. "I know you're not feeling at your best right now, so I'll keep this brief, okay?" Their eyes caught each other and Frank continued. "Calleigh told me you didn't actually see who attacked you. What were they wearing?"

"Black robes. Head to toe. Like the Klan, but then in black."

"Can you tell me with how many they were?"

"I saw nine of them... they were watching," Horatio drew in a shuddering breath. "Then two or three beside or behind me. I'm not sure."

"Okay. That's okay," Tripp quickly responded, not wanting to upset the Lieutenant. "What about voices, did they say anything?"

"Yes. Two males. Weird stuff. References to the bible. Quoting Metzger." Horatio's eyes closed again, making the others wondering whether he'd fallen asleep on them. After a while, he opened them, however. "I couldn't make them understand. They were still being controlled. I couldn't make them see that..." Regret was evident in Horatio's voice.

Frank exchanged looks with Calleigh and Alexx. Alexx looked worried, ready to break off the conversation. Tripp momentarily held up his hand, stopping her. "None of this is your fault, H. Anything else we need to know?"

"Candles. They carried lamp holders." Horatio's voice was even softer than it was before as it obviously cost him a lot of strength to keep on talking. "Nothing. Wrong. I had to convince them. It didn't work."

This time, Alexx got up and stopped Frank with one glare. "Don't worry about that now, Horatio. I want you to rest some more, okay? Speed and Eric are coming to see you later on tonight..." she watched how his eyes slid close. "Right now, you need some sleep. That's it."

When she was sure Horatio was asleep again, Alexx ushered Calleigh and Frank out of the room.

XXX-XXX-XXX

Speed and Eric had thoroughly searched the students' campsite. "Well," Speed muttered angrily. "There's enough evidence that they've been here, all right."

"Calm down," Eric reasoned. "We knew before hand they had been here. What we're looking for is foot prints that match the ones we found at Chekika, and for a possibility for them to have left at night without being spotted."

"I know, I know," Speed responded quickly. "I'm just getting impatient. What I really want is to lock them up and throw away the key."

Eric looked at his friend, a weary smile forming on his lips. "I'm nearly done with the foot prints here. Let's go and talk to those guards."

"You know, they could easily sneak out that way," Speed pointed in the right direction. "The question is if the guards would have noticed."

"That's what we're about to find out," Eric tried to keep his patience, as he could fully understand Speed's frustration. "Done. Let's wrap up and go."

They gathered their stuff, closed their field kits and headed back to the visitor's center. Speed opened the door and stepped in first, Eric following close-by.

"Gentlemen," the man from behind the counter greeted them. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Yes, thank you," Eric responded. "Have those guards arrived yet?"

"Follow me." The man opened the door to the back of the office. He showed the two detectives into a small room where three security guards were waiting. "I'll bring you some coffee." With that, the camp site owner left, only to return shortly after with the promised coffee.

"Thank you for being here to answer some questions," Eric took lead. "I'm detective Delko, and this is my partner, detective Speedle. We're from the MD crime lab and we really want to know who was on duty last Tuesday night."

"Hi. I'm Martin Green. This is Paul Dunwood and that's Lee Peacock. As for your question... we all were," the first guard started.

"We all sleep for four hours a night. One of us sleeps from seven until eleven, the next from eleven until three and the last one from three until seven. This way, there's always two of us walking rounds over the campsite," the man introduced as Paul Dunwood filled in.

Speed made some notes, while Eric continued. "About those rounds. What's the frequency, and how long does one round take?"

"We start here, at the visitor's center. One goes east, one west and we meet somewhere in the middle, then head back here together. We do that twice an hour," Green explained. "In between the rounds, we have just enough time to drink another cup of coffee."

"Did you notice anything out of the ordinary last Tuesday night?" Speed asked, looking up from his notes.

The guards looked at each other. Raising his shoulders, Peacock spoke up. "No. Nothing unusual. We have a logbook, and we would have written it down, if something had happened."

"Sometimes, people walk over the campsites at night, right?" Eric asked.

"Well, yeah. There's always somebody who has to take a leak," grinned Dunwood.

"Right. What if you see somebody walking over the camp site who is not heading in the direction of the lavatories?"

"Then that person is most likely on his or her way back to the tent. Usually we do keep an eye on everybody wandering around."

"Would you notice some tents are empty, while there should be people inside?" Speed wanted to know.

Green shook his head. "Now, that would be impossible. It would also be a violation of privacy if we'd go and check the tents, wouldn't it?"

Dunwood and Peacock were nodding in agreement.

"I guess so, too," nodded Eric. "Okay. Thank you for your time. We appreciate your help." He sipped the last of his coffee, waited for Speed to do the same and then they both left, heading for the Hummer.

"So between the rounds, the students had about twenty minutes to leave their tents and get out. That's possible, right?" Eric looked at Speed.

Speed agreed. "Yes, that wouldn't have been too hard. They could have sneaked back in early in the morning. We have the possibility, now we need the proof."

"We'll get to that tomorrow," Eric decided. "Let's go and see H."

XXX-XXX-XXX


	14. Reconstruction of the crime

_**14. RECONSTRUCTION OF THE CRIME.**_

"Look who's doing better," Alexx said cheerfully that Friday morning, when she found Horatio, awake and aware, slightly sitting up with the head-rest of the bed raised. Pillows were propping him up, an immobilizer supporting his left arm.

He'd been moved to the regular ward, the monitors were gone, leaving only the nasal cannula to assist his breathing and the IV-line hooked to the back of his right hand. He had a gown on now, and both of his legs were elevated under the sheets.

Horatio smiled at her. "Morning."

Alexx found a chair, sat down and grabbed his hand to take his pulse. "Sorry," she apologized. "Old habits die hard."

"That's all right," he said, the smile still etched on his face.

"So," Alexx said, looking into his eyes to find his pupils less dilated than the day before. "They've cut back the sedatives. How's the pain?"

"It's okay. As long as I keep still," he responded quietly.

"I bet," she nodded in understanding. "Moving with cracked ribs and all those welts and bruises must hurt like hell. You better be careful or you'll pull some stitches."

"Oh, I'm not in for sudden movements, believe me."

Careful for the IV Alexx placed his hand on hers. "Can you move your fingers?"

He tried. It cost him a lot of effort, but some fingers trembled and the thumb actually bent. "I can't," he sighed.

"Give it some time," Alexx said softly, placing his hand back on the bed. "Your circulation has been altered for a long time, and it has affected your muscles and nerves. But there is some movement, which is good. What did the doctor say?"

"The same. That with therapy, I should regain full usage of my arms."

"Good. I'll bring you a tennis ball next time. You can practice your hand by trying to squeeze it. I've heard they're getting a specialist in, to do some skin grafts on your back next week. How are the legs?" She grabbed a glass of water from the night stand and held the straw close to his mouth.

"Sore," Horatio admitted, then paused to sip some water. "Throbbing. The swelling is coming down, though. And the fracture should heal properly. My foot is taped, I hardly feel it at the moment."

"You will, later on, I'm afraid. Right now, you need a lot of rest, start eating properly to regain some strength and allow your body to heal." She placed the glass back and looked over her shoulder as the door opened.

Calleigh, closely followed by Eric and Speed, entered the room and they all looked pleasantly surprised to find their boss and friend awake.

"Well, good morning," Calleigh smiled.

"Hi, H," Eric said.

"Hey, how are you?" asked Speed.

Horatio's gaze went from Calleigh to Eric and from Eric to Speed. "Morning. I'm fine."

Speed rolled his eyes. "Fine? Sure, H."

Eric laughed. "At least he's awake now." Turning his attention back to Horatio, he explained. "We were here last night, but you slept through our entire visit."

"Sorry."

"Oh, don't be," Eric hastened to say. "We're just glad that you're ... fine."

"So, tell me," Horatio's eyes moved until he found Speed's gaze. "Tell me. How did you find me?"

"Well, Cal and Eric traced your cell phone. It was thrown in a dustbin somewhere in Biscayne Boulevard. We found prints on it, from Jenny Connors. She's one of the students of Metzger's class. Meanwhile, Alexx and me had been to your house, then went to Cabrerra University and found the Hummer. Your shades were lying next to it, so we knew something was wrong. What happened?"

"I came out, after my conversation with Dean Hernandez," Horatio started. "This girl, Ginny, was waiting for me. She said she needed to talk to me. Next thing I know she stunned me with her taser and two men jumped in from behind the Hummer. They used chloroform." He lowered his gaze, embarrassed. "I should have seen that coming."

"Oh, no," Calleigh disagreed. "They took you completely by surprise. How could you have known?"

"Come on, man," Eric joined in, shaking his head. "There's no way you could have known they would try something. Especially not something like this."

"Anyway," Speed continued, as Horatio didn't look up yet. "We searched the University, and then went to Metzger's house. We got nothing."

"Frank was trying to locate the students, who hadn't showed up for class that day. He couldn't find them. Me and Cal were doing a background search on them back at the lab," Eric filled in.

"Speed found a checkbook, with transfers to an outdoor shop near Chekika campground," Alexx now also helped to fill the gaps. "We didn't have anything else, so we headed over there."

"That's how I found out one of those students, Ned Sante, his parents had a cabin there," Calleigh added.

Horatio looked up, his eyes distant. "That must have been where they'd dumped me. I remember the smell of oak."

"We arrived there, found Ned crying on the veranda of the cabin. Your shirt and jacket were inside. Then the kid took us into the forest." Speed dropped his head and shivered at the memory.

Alexx continued. "We found you, cut you down... Your heart stopped, and you scared us a bit by stopping breathing, but luckily for me you were too stubborn to die."

"Hmm," he commented, staring down at the sheets. The memory of what had happened still haunted him and he shivered. "Thank you, you all did well. I never doubted that you would find me, I just didn't think..." the words caught in his throat and he refrained from finishing the sentence.

Alexx squeezed his hand.

"Where are they now?" Horatio softly asked after a while.

"We're interrogating them," Eric said. "We're also collecting evidence. The students don't know that we've found you. Frank decided to keep that out of the questioning for now."

A frown appeared on Horatio's face. "What about the evidence?"

"Let us worry about that for now," Alexx cut off the conversation. She'd been keeping a close eye on Horatio and knew he was getting tired. He was quite able to mislead people about his true condition, but he had no sunglasses to hide behind now and even then, Alexx could read him like a book. "I'm going to lower the bed a bit so you can rest, okay?"

He nodded and grimaced as the head-rest was lowered.

"Sleep well, H," Eric bade him, then left. Speed followed, waving gently with his hand. "We'll be back later," Calleigh added before leaving as well.

Alexx stayed behind and repositioned the pillows around him until she thought he was comfortable. "Better?"

"Yes, thank you," he threw her a faint smile. "I guess I'm a little tired."

"Oh, you guess?" she grinned. "You're exhausted, and you need your beauty sleep. We'll catch you later." Confident that he would be asleep before she'd reach the end of the hall, Alexx left.

XXX-XXX-XXX

Calleigh and Speed went to Professor Metzger's house, while Eric and Alexx headed back to the lab. Eric was going to continue interrogating the students with Frank Tripp, while Alexx would have to perform an autopsy on a body from another case.

"So we're looking for a chain and a bull whip, right?" Calleigh asked as they got out of the Hummer and headed to the door.

"Yes. And maybe that wax stuff, although I doubt that proves anything. Unless you're telling me you can match the leather dressing from that piece of kangaroo leather to exactly the right can."

"Hmm, I don't think so. It will probably stop at getting the brand right."

"And how many people in this state alone would be using that particular brand," Speed said. "So that would only be circumstantial."

"We'll see," Calleigh said, and they entered the horror Professor's house again. "I doubt we'll find it, though. I mean, you and Horatio have searched this place, right?"

"Yes," Speedle agreed. "We would have bagged and tagged anything that looked like a whip or a chain."

"Exactly." Heading straight for the utility closet they'd discovered shortly after the Professor's dead body was found, Calleigh opened it. "There's nothing here. Everything is still back at the lab."

Speed researched the office for the umpteenth time. "What we really should do is searching the students' houses. Guess that will have to wait until next week. Will you take the living room?"

"Agreed," Calleigh nodded, and left to go to the other room.

An hour later, both were certain nothing of interest was left at the Professor's house and they headed back to the crime lab.

XXX-XXX-XXX

That afternoon, Calleigh worked on the financial background of the students, in the hope to find something that indicated an order to Australia. She also spent quite some time on the telephone, with the American stores selling kangaroo-hide bull whips.

Speed worked on the DNA samples and fingerprints that Eric and Frank gathered from the students they had interrogated, as well as on the foot prints found at the Larry and Thompson campsite. It was his job to compare these to the evidence collected at the Chekika crime scene.

Eric and Frank managed to interrogate the remaining seven students that day. Their stories were similar and didn't reveal any new useable information.

As always, the team gathered in the break room before the weekend.

"What a week," Eric sighed, exhausted from listening to teenagers that irritated the hell out of him. "When can we book them, Frank?"

"Not yet," Tripp said, throwing his partner of the day a meaningful smile. "Getting impatient, are we?"

"I can't stand them," Eric muttered. "I have this barely controllable urge to wipe those arrogant smiles of their faces."

"We'll get them," Frank spoke self-confidently. "Let's just forget about this for a while and relax. It is weekend after all."

"I'm going to stop by Horatio tonight," Calleigh decided. "Anybody coming?"

"I have other obligations, sweetie," Alexx said, shaking her head. "I'll go first thing in the morning."

"I'll join you," Speedle said, turning to Calleigh. "I've promised a friend of mine to go to a baseball game tomorrow, so tonight suits me better."

"Guess I'll be keeping H company tomorrow afternoon, then. After all, we don't want him to get bored already," Eric joked. "How 'bout you, Frank?"

"Oh, I think I will drop by when I have some time. Unlike you, I'm on shift this weekend."

"Poor baby," Alexx commented grinning.

Tripp pulled a face. "Well, you all have fun and I'll see you back here on Monday."


	15. A surprising visit

_**15. A SURPRISING VISIT.**_

Horatio Caine shifted uncomfortably in the hospital bed. With his free arm lacking strength and accuracy he had nothing to push himself up with in order to find a better position.

The meds he was receiving took the edge off the pain from his multiple injuries, but couldn't prevent the sharp stabs of agony shooting through his torso and back each time he moved.

The tennis ball Alexx had brought him that morning lay on the sheets, next to his hip. He'd been trying to hold it and roll it in his hand, a task that proved to be difficult enough. He could just forget about the squeezing part for now. Hopefully it would improve with practicing, though.

The most annoying thing was that he couldn't even lift a magazine, let alone hold it up. This left him with absolutely nothing to do. Nothing, except playing the same movie over and over in his mind. A movie he'd rather forget.

All in all, he was bored and it made him cranky.

At least that itching thing in his nose had been removed that morning. As long as he didn't take too deep breaths, he was okay. Now if only he could lift his arm, and grab the glass of water all by himself. That would be an improvement. Calling for help was just not something he easily did.

Horatio debated about going back to sleep despite the fact that he'd slept forever. He wasn't that tired, yet somehow each time he closed his eyes, he drifted off to sleep. His body obviously had other ideas than his mind.

Just as he closed his eyes, the door to his room opened. Welcoming the distraction, Horatio opened his eyes again, then stared in surprise at the person shyly stepping inside.

"Well, hello," he said, taking in the younger man's hesitation.

The visitor kept his head down, staring at the floor. He apparently was afraid to step any closer.

Horatio suddenly knew who he was looking at. "Ned? You're Ned Sante, aren't you?"

The student's shoulders trembled. He had his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his jeans. "I..." he started with a slight timbre in his voice. "I don't know why I'm here. I'm..." he lifted his head, throwing a glance at the man lying in the bed before quickly finding another point of interest on the floor. "I'm probably the last person you want to see."

"Ned," Horatio said. "Ned, why don't you come closer and sit down?"

Scared and confused eyes found the Lieutenant's gaze. "You mean," Ned hesitated. "You're not going to kick me out?"

"Well, to tell you the truth, Ned," Horatio responded gently. "To tell you the truth, I can't. Not even if I wanted to. So here's what I want you to do. Come and sit down. Can you do that?"

Wavering, Ned approached the bed and reluctantly sat down on the chair. "We were wrong," he muttered, still afraid to look up.

"Yes," Horatio agreed. "You were."

"I... I couldn't do it anymore. I thought that we'd killed you." Ned stammered. "I know it's too late, but I realized you were right all along. He controls us. For me, it had to stop, right there..."

"My team told me how they found you," Horatio spoke quietly. "You left the group."

"I couldn't do it anymore. It was wrong."

"Well, Ned. I'm glad you came to that conclusion."

The kid snorted and shook his head. "A bit late, isn't it?"

"Yes," Horatio agreed. "But Ned, better late than never."

"I..." Ned looked up now, searching the Lieutenant's gaze. "I came here to apologize. To tell you how sorry I am that I didn't stop it when I should have." He shifted in his chair. "I should probably go. You must hate me..."

"No, I don't," Horatio interrupted the kid. "I don't hate you, Ned. I think you have enough trouble with you hating yourself right now, am I right?"

The teenager sniffed, a faint nod following. His eyes widened, though, determination showing through. "But I'm going to do things right from now on."

"And what's that?"

"I'm going to testify. I'm going to tell the truth. And I'm going to prison. I've been talking to detective..." he hesitated, not remembering the man's name.

"Tripp?" Horatio guessed.

"Yes. Detective Tripp said I had to go to jail. He also told me about the possibilities to study in prison. To do things right. Even there. And that's what I'm going to do. I still have a life ahead of me, when I come out."

Horatio smiled. "Yes, you do. The rest of your life, Ned. Keep that in mind."

"I will."

"You know what I think?" Horatio asked, and Ned looked at him, wondering what was coming. "I think you're going to do fine. It took a lot of courage to come here, Ned. And I appreciate it that you did. I really do."

"You do?"

"Yes," Horatio nodded. "And remember, there will always be people around willing to help. Just don't hesitate to ask, all right?"

"Thank you," Ned smiled now. "I hope you get well soon, Lieutenant Caine." He scrambled to his feet, preparing to leave. "I just wish it wouldn't have come this far."

"Me, too, Ned," Horatio agreed. "Me too."

With that, the student left, leaving the Lieutenant behind with something else to think of that afternoon.

XXX-XXX-XXX

Ned Sante had done a lot of thinking the past couple of days. He'd screwed up, and he'd screwed up badly. He knew that now. That kind lady from the police department had been right, though. It was time for him to make the right choices.

The detective had been not too bad either. He'd been honest, telling Ned exactly what was going to happen, but also had been kind enough to give him options. Something he could live with.

So he was going to prison. It served him right, for being part of something he shouldn't have agreed to from the beginning.

Professor Metzger's death should have been the limit. Yet, Barbosa had convinced them to take this one step further. One step further from humanity, Ned knew now. It was shocking, really, how easily the whole class had followed Barbosa's lead and did what he demanded. As if nobody had a mind of his own.

He shivered at the memory of that awful night.

How could he have been so blind? How could he have been so stupid to take part in this?

Going to the hospital yesterday to visit the Lieutenant who, with what he'd said that horrible night, had opened Ned's eyes, had been the most difficult task in his entire life.

It had been the right thing to do, though. It made him feel a little bit better about himself. Now, he had to continue following the path he'd chosen, take responsibility for his actions, or rather, lack of it, and then maybe, when he came out of prison, maybe then he could look at his own reflection in the mirror.

He was lost in his thoughts as he wandered through the streets, heading for home after his short walk through the park. He hadn't noticed the car approaching, hadn't heard the footsteps coming closer.

The windshield of the car was lowered, and John, his fellow student, called out from behind the steering wheel. "Hey, Ned! There you are. Come on, we're going to have some fun."

Next thing he knew, Mitchell Robins jovially placed his arm around Ned's shoulders. "Hi, Ned. We've missed you. Let's go, man."

Mitch steered Ned to the car, and Ginny swung the door open. Mitch pushed Ned inside, jumped in himself and the car rushed off into traffic.

XXX-XXX-XXX


	16. Not again?

_**16. NOT AGAIN?**_

"Okay, what could be so important that Frank called us out here?" Calleigh asked that Sunday early in the afternoon when she entered the break room. Speed and Eric were already present, sipping their coffee.

Eric shrugged. "He didn't say, but he sounded upset. He'll be here in a minute."

Calleigh threw a glance at her watch. She'd slept in late and had planned to visit Horatio in the hospital, but apparently something important was going on. She grabbed a mug and tapped some coffee as well.

The solid strides of Tripp announced his arrival before he stepped inside the room. "Morning, people. We have a situation," he announced.

Three pair of eyes questioningly stared at him.

"Ned Sante is missing."

"Ned Sante is missing?" Speed repeated with a deep frown on his face. "I thought you were confident he wouldn't run. It doesn't make any sense."

"What about the rest of the students?" Calleigh demanded, immediately sensing trouble.

Frank rolled his eyes. "We can't find them either."

"Why don't I like the sound of that?" muttered Calleigh.

"This is a very unpleasant case of déjà-vu," Eric commented. "So what are you thinking?"

"We've been interrogating all the students, except Ned Sante. Ned called in sick, so they didn't have the opportunity to talk to him..." Tripp started to explain. "Not to mention the fact that Ned didn't go with them to the Larry and Thomson campsite. So what if they want to make sure Ned isn't going to talk about their activities?"

"They still don't know Horatio is alive, right?" Calleigh asked worriedly.

"Correct. I deliberately kept that a secret. Both for H, and for Ned's protection. They also haven't been back at Chekika, I have permanent surveillance posted at that campsite."

"They're not that stupid. They wouldn't go back there," Eric reasoned. "Not if they think a dead body is waiting there to be discovered by somebody."

"So where would they take Ned?" Speed asked the obvious question.

"Here we go again," Calleigh remarked, sighing. "I'll check the backgrounds again, and see if I can find any other connected camp grounds."

Frank nodded in approval. "I'll send some men to the Larry and Thompson campground. Why don't you two," he addressed the male detectives from the crime lab, "go over to Cabrerra University. The place is deserted this weekend, so they could have chosen that. And check that other campsite they've mentioned as well, what was it... the Long Pine Key campground."

"How about their homes?" Speed wanted to know.

"They're not at home," Frank responded.

"I know that, but do we have a warrant to search their places?"

"Not yet. I talked to the judge on Friday, and he made it perfectly clear that we need more for that," Tripp didn't look too happy. "Although I'm sure we can get one by tomorrow. So. What are you waiting for? We've got a kid to find."

XXX-XXX-XXX

"What's up?" Horatio demanded. "What happened?"

"Well, hello to you, too," Alexx rolled her eyes. She'd hardly set a foot inside his room and he was shooting questions at her.

"Something is going on," he persisted, and tried to sit up straight. Groaning, he gave up, uncomfortably leaning back in the pillows.

"Now calm down, honey," Alexx tried. "There's no need for you to rip some stitches."

"Calleigh planned on coming this morning, and she didn't show up. You have this look on your face..." Horatio's face was a mixture of annoyance, frustration and concern. "And when you have this look on your face, I'm not going to like what you're about to tell me. Am I?"

Nothing passed by him, Alexx thought. She sat down, tried to show him a calm face and hoped he wouldn't get too upset, something he didn't need in this early stage of his recovery. Not telling him wasn't an option, though. They had a pretty straight-forward relationship and one of its foundations was trust. Trust meant the truth, and she wouldn't withhold it from him.

She grabbed his hand and sighed. "Ned Sante appears to be missing."

His eyes were now filled with surprise. "What?"

"Frank's called in everybody he could find. The kid is missing and the other students aren't where he thought they would be either."

"They have him?" Horatio closed his eyes. "They have him. Ned wasn't playing their game anymore. He broke the rules."

Alexx stared at him in concern. She felt him trembling under her touch.

"Who breaks the rules shall be punished," he whispered. His eyes shot back open, looking for her. "We have to find Ned before it's too late," he urged.

Alexx patted his arm. "They're trying to, Horatio. They're doing whatever they can."

Horatio wasn't listening. Instead, he shifted restlessly, the pain his movements caused etched clearly on his face. "You don't understand. You don't know what these people are capable of," he protested.

"I saw what they did to you," Alexx replied sharply. "I think I have a pretty good idea. Now calm down. In your condition, there's nothing you can do."

Her voice seemed to reach him, as he stopped moving around. His breathing had increased, and his face was still screwed up from the pain. He tried to clench and unclench his hand, but his muscles still not fully cooperated.

"Look. I know you hate not being able to do anything. But I'm afraid you're going to have to sit this one out, okay?" Alexx grabbed his hand again and gave it a gentle squeeze. With her fingers on his wrist to take his pulse she sat quietly, patiently waiting for him to relax.

It took some time, but finally the trembling ceased and he threw her a resigned look. "All right," he sighed.

"Are you okay?" Alexx asked worriedly, studying him closely.

Horatio didn't answer, but gave her a sad smile.

"I'm going to get you something to relax," she decided. "You need to rest."

He didn't object, so she got up and left the room, only to return shortly with a nurse. The nurse injected something in Horatio's IV-line then left them alone.

Alexx waited silently as the medication did its job. Slowly, the tension in Horatio's body disappeared, the cramped muscles in his shoulder eased out and he visibly relaxed.

It was becoming difficult for him to keep his eyes open, but he still fought against the effect of the drug as he turned his head and looked at her, pleading.

She understood. "As soon as we know something, we'll come and tell you. I promise."

XXX-XXX-XXX

"I've got something," Calleigh called out suddenly. It was nearing midnight and so far, they hadn't found anything.

Speed and Eric had returned from searching the campgrounds and had come up empty. Tripp's men hadn't found anything at the Larry and Thompson's campsite either.

"What have you got?" Tripp lifted his tired head and looked expectantly at her.

"Well, it's a long shot," Calleigh hesitated. "That's why I didn't see it right away."

"Let's hear it," Speed said impatiently.

"Okay, remember we found Horatio's cell phone in that dustbin on Biscayne Boulevard?"

Four pairs of eyes were looking at her, urging her to continue.

"Jenny's fingerprints were on it, yet she doesn't live near that area. So that left me wondering. Why would she have thrown that phone away there?"

"And?" Eric demanded.

"Jenny isn't living with her parents, like the other students. The Connors live somewhere in Wisconsin. So Jenny has her own apartment. And... She has a roommate." She triumphantly looked at the four people waiting for her to explain. "Her roommate is Kathy. Kathy Wilson. And guess where Kathy's parents live?"

"Biscayne Boulevard?" Alexx reasoned.

"Exactly. Well, only one block away."

"And this helps us how?" Tripp wondered.

"Kathy's parents own an RV. I checked it out. They have it stalled at the Everglades KOA."

"This is the only connection you've found?" Speed wanted to know.

"Yes," Calleigh rolled her shoulders in an attempt to relieve the strain. "It's the only thing I could come up with. I tried to contact Kathy's parents, but the person I talked to on the phone said they were in Europe. This nice lady also told me Kathy and her friend were free to use the RV whenever they wanted. I think we should try it."

"Does this camp ground happen to be surrounded by a forest area?" Eric asked, not doubting she had checked that already.

"Yes. They also have an area for tents. Frank?"

Tripp was already on the phone, barking out some orders. Snapping the phone shut when he was done, he got up. "I've just sent fifteen officers off to meet us there. I'm not taking any chances. Let's go."


	17. What happened to Ned?

_**17. WHAT HAPPENED TO NED?**_

Fifteen officers, four crime scene investigators and Detective Frank Tripp entered the forest near Everglades KOA campground. It was just after midnight and it was dark, but the moon was out and illuminated the area through a thick canopy of branches.

Spreading out, they made a wide pincer movement, thoroughly searching as much of the area as possible in one motion.

They moved quietly, carefully picking their steps, to avoid branches from snapping under the pressure of shoes.

Something moved.

Eric spotted it first and he drew Frank's attention, silently pointing.

Frank Tripp held up his hand in warning. Everybody stopped dead in their tracks.

Barely visible in the dark, despite the beams of moonlight shining through the pine trees, they could all see a black silhouette, the two glimpses of white indicating the location of eyes.

The figure turned briskly to sprint away and its robe rustled as it got caught on a sprig of a near-by tree. With a solid toss the owner pulled it lose. The tearing of cotton broke through the silence of the night before the clad figure resumed flight.

"Get him," Tripp hissed into his walkie-talkie.

The policemen now chased after the fleeing suspect, uncaring for the noise they made. Another figure with dark clothes jumped in line with the first. From behind some trees more dark figures moved, their backs turned towards the approaching officers and they rushed off, in a desperate attempt to escape.

The sound of people panting, boots plunging into sodden mud and robes fluttering disturbed the otherwise peaceful silence of the night.

Detective Tripp issued rapid orders to the other policemen, making sure each and every one headed where he wanted them. His strategy was plain and simple- pursuit and surround. There was a reason why he'd brought so many men. Spreading out, they circled around the fugitives and efficiently closed them in.

The dark figures clustered together, huddling together. Stealing quick glances around, it was obvious that they were trapped.

"Well, well, well," Tripp sneered, his breathing only slightly increased from the hot pursuit. He looked in disgust at the scene in front of him. A quick head count told him they'd caught eleven students, which, Ned not included, meant they had them all.

Some officers had pulled out their flashlights. The glaring yellow beams of light danced over the black costumes. They looked like monk's habits, falling down from shoulder to the ground. Similar black material was used for the cowls, with narrow slits for the eyes. The dressed up figures shifted nervously, some fidgeting, some still panting, some throwing glances over their shoulders as if looking for an escape.

There was none. They were completely surrounded.

Eric Delko couldn't wait any longer. He jumped forward and pulled the first black cowl he could reach from the stunned student's head. Reaching out, he held out the black material, barely registering that Speed took it from him and immediately bagged it. "Where's Ned?" he barked.

A stunned Ginny Taylor was staring at him, a mixture of fury and fear evident in her features from being exposed.

Eric wasn't in the mood for patience. He grabbed the girl by the shoulder and roughly shook her. "Where is he?" he demanded sharply.

Her eyes widened, her lip trembled and she slowly raised her arm. Unsteadily, she pointed into the forest, her eyes drifting without focus in the same direction.

Eric let go of her and retreated.

Frank wasted no time and stepped forward. "Simmons and Parker, go. Alexx... you're with them," he ordered.

The crime lab's ME was already running, kit in her hand as she followed the two police officers into the woods.

"All right. You're under arrest," Tripp simply announced and without thinking he rattled off the right procedures that had to be told to each suspect. That done, he turned to the crime lab investigators. "Let's take off these robes and bag them, shall we? Michaels, get the cuffs ready."

XXX-XXX-XXX

Alexx Woods stared at the scene in front of her. "Oh, you poor thing," she whispered.

It was the third time she was looking at a man hanging in the trees in less than two weeks. She wasted no time and carefully stepped forward, leaving the two police officers waiting. Again, her fingers tried to detect a pulse, this time on Ned Sante's ankle. She couldn't find one but he wasn't nearly as cold as Horatio had been.

Knowing from experience now that there was still a chance, especially since they'd found Ned much faster than they had found Horatio, she motioned for the two police officers. "We're going to get him down now," she urged and quickly instructed on how the first officer was to hold the young student steady while the other had to cut the ropes.

Only minutes later, Ned Sante was spread out on the ground, a dark trail of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Alexx knelt next to him and sighed sadly. "This wasn't how you wanted to get your life back, now was it?" She tilted his head and lifted his chin then bent forward to listen if he was breathing. She didn't hear him draw in a breath and his chest wasn't rising up and down either. Her fingers already resting on his neck, Alexx couldn't find a pulse.

She grabbed the mouth barrier device from her kit and slammed her hands in place, immediately starting chest compressions. "Come on," she whispered desperately. She repeated the cycle of compressions and ventilations four times, then checked for breathing and a pulse again.

It wasn't there. What was there, was an unnatural indent in Ned's ribcage. Unwilling to give up, Alexx continued with CPR. She didn't know how long she tried, checking for a pulse in between the compressions and breathing, but after a long time, she leant back on her haunches in exhaustion.

"Oh, honey," she said, gently stroking through Ned's hair. "I'm sorry. I am so sorry."

XXX-XXX-XXX

The eleven students had been released from their protective black habits. Eric, Calleigh and Speed had bagged and tagged them all, while the police officers had handcuffed each student. They were completely unresponsive and resigned, apparently still in shock from being caught.

"How did you get here?" Tripp demanded, looking questioningly at the silent group. "Cars?"

Nobody answered.

"I repeat," Tripp stepped closer, adopting a menacing attitude. "Did you come by car?"

The girl named Jenny gave a shuddering nod.

"What cars?" He only had to throw her a glowering glare.

"My car," she whispered. "A white Ford Mustang. And Mitchell's car. Dark green. Buick."

"Where are they parked?"

"Parking lot B."

"Did you set up camp here?" Tripp asked.

The girl shook her head.

Tripp's cell phone rang and he stepped back, turning his back to the group of students. Grabbing his phone, the detective opened it and answered curtly. "Yes?"

He listened, and his face turned grim. "All right. I'm sending them over." Snapping his phone shut, he turned back to face the nervous crowd. "Okay, kids. We're booking you for murder. Ned Sante didn't make it."

Eric cursed. Speed let out a deep sigh. Calleigh just stared at Frank.

The group of students remained silent, although some of the kids were shuffling on their feet.

"Care to tell me why?" Tripp tried, although that question was going to be one of the subjects of the interrogations that would soon follow.

None of the students answered.

"We'll get to the truth," Eric snapped angrily.

"Paul," Frank said to one of the policemen. "Take another man with you and go and find those cars. I want nothing and nobody touching those cars, got that? Eric and Speed here will be there later to search for evidence. Michaels," he watched Paul and another cop leaving and now faced the next police officer. "You and the rest take these kids and book them for murder. Get them out of my sight."

Michaels nodded and clicked with his fingers. "All right. You've heard the man. We're going for a walk, people. Let's go." He and the other officers escorted the silent group out of the forest.

Frank looked at the crime lab investigators. "Calleigh, why don't you go and assist Alexx with the crime scene. Eric and Speed, we're going to search the area between here and there and see if the students have accidentally dropped anything. Like chains or whips."

Calleigh sighed sadly. Grabbing her kit, she left the area and headed in the direction Alexx had disappeared in.

Frank, Eric and Speed, flashlights in their hands, started searching.

---

A/N: Awww.... I killed Ned... I'm sorry, it just happened. Are you ready for the conclusion? There's only one chapter left, folks! Give me a few days to wrap it up...


	18. Case closed

_**18. CASE CLOSED**_

_"The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing" - John Powell_

It was Monday afternoon. Alexx Woods was in the autopsy lab, and on her table lay the body of Ned Sante. She was tired, with the skipping of a night's sleep, but didn't plan to go home just yet.

She knew Eric, Speed and Calleigh hadn't gone home yet, either. They were frantically working on all the collected evidence, eager to put this whole case behind them.

She walked around the table, and gently stroked the student over his cold arm before looking up as the door to the lab opened.

Her mouth fell open, her eyes wide.

It was Horatio. He was seated in a wheel chair, with one leg-rest raised to keep his leg with the fractured shin and broken toes elevated. A soft blanket over the back-rest provided additional protection for his back covered in abrasions, welts and stitches. Yet, it must be pretty uncomfortable for him to lean back, she figured.

He was dressed casually, a short-sleeved shirt and some dark grey trousers. With his left arm strapped to his body to support the shoulder, he was sagged sideways, leaning with his right arm on the arm-rest. He was pale, and droplets of sweat dotted his forehead as a result of having moved more than he should.

Calleigh was pushing the wheelchair, and responded to Alexx's reaction with a helpless shrug of her shoulders.

"Alexx," Horatio said with a steady but soft voice. "What have you got?"

Deciding now was not a good time to lecture him Alexx stepped aside, providing Calleigh with enough room to push the wheelchair closer to the table. Horatio was leaning forward now, sitting up straighter, and letting his eyes scan the body. Sighing softly, she followed his gaze.

"Multiple welts across his torso, as you can see. His back is covered with them as well. Some are deep, at some spots white of bone shines through," Alexx started. "These bruises and burns," she pointed to the damaged area near the armpits and across the victim's chest, "are caused by the ropes he was hanging from."

She changed her position, and then her gloved hand tenderly ran over Ned's legs. They were badly swollen and bruised, black and blue. "This is obviously from being repeatedly struck with heavy chains. There are no clean breaks, but... most likely there are fractures underneath." She shivered involuntarily. Picking up an arm, she showed the victim's abraded wrist. "These are rope burns. On both wrists, again from being tied up."

Horatio's eyes slowly followed her hands, looking closely, as far as he could see from his position. He gave a slight nod. "What killed him, Alexx?"

Moving back to the upper body, she pressed slightly on the victim's chest. Tiny blue spots indicated something had struck Ned there. "The ribs gave away here. Something heavier than a whip was used here, and based on these blue dots..." she pointed them out.

"The mace," Calleigh interrupted. "Eric and Speed found one in the woods, close to the crime scene."

Alexx looked up at her, nodding. "That's what I'm thinking as well. They struck him with a mace, and at least four ribs must have snapped under the pressure. One or two of them have punctured the lungs, causing him to bleed internally."

Calleigh winced. Horatio appeared to remain unattached.

"The poor boy was bleeding from his mouth when we got him down. He'd bled a lot. That, plus..." again her fingers ran tenderly over the victim's chest, the dark blue stains evident, "plus they pulled the rope around his chest too tight. So my guess is he died from asphyxiation. We were just too late." She stared sadly at the victim's face. "You were already dead when we got to you, weren't you, sugar?"

"Thank you," Horatio said quietly. His gaze was now also directed at the younger man's face. "I'm sorry, Ned. I'm really sorry that you didn't get the chance to do things right. I'm sorry that you didn't get to the part that you called the rest of your life."

With that, he gave a silent nod, indicating to Calleigh that he was finished. Carefully, he leaned back in his chair, grimacing as his back touched the seat. With his head down, he waited, and Calleigh pulled the wheelchair backwards, then turned it around to leave the autopsy lab.

XXX-XXX-XXX

Calleigh had brought Horatio to his office. Detective Tripp came in, two cups of coffee in his hands and placed one within reach of the crime lab Lieutenant.

"H, how are you feeling?"

"Hmm, like I should have stayed in bed this morning," Horatio responded, a faint smile forming at his lips. He stared at the coffee, wondering if his hand could hold up the cup yet.

"Well, let's keep this as short as possible, so you can go back, okay? Are you sure you want to do this?" Frank asked. He'd been to the hospital early that morning and he and Horatio had talked everything through.

"Yes." The red-haired man tilted his head and looked resolutely at Tripp. "Yes, I do."

"All right. I have them all waiting... let's give them a little surprise." Forgetting about the coffee, Frank stepped behind the wheelchair and carefully maneuvered Horatio out of his office, down the hall and stopped next to the door of the interrogation room where eleven students were waiting. Eric Delko and Tim Speedle were also inside, all the evidence sorted out within reach.

Tripp threw the door open and stood still in the doorway. "So, ladies and gentlemen. Let's begin. We're going to discuss your accessory to the disappearance of Lieutenant Caine of this crime lab, followed by the murder of one of your fellow students, Ned Sante."

"I'm sorry, but we've got nothing to do with the disappearance of one of your men," the student called John Waters said.

"That's what you all tried to make us believe," nodded Tripp. "But... I have reasons to think differently." At that moment, he wheeled Horatio in, fully enjoying the nervous shifting in chairs and the deeper intake of breaths. Frank carefully installed his friend on the opposite side of the room, behind the table. After that, he stepped back and, hands shoved into his pockets, leaned with his back against the wall waiting for what he knew was coming.

Horatio slowly lifted his head and his gaze traveled from one student to the other. "Well, hello," he started. "We meet again. Let's go back, shall we?" He paused for a second, as if catching his breath, then continued. "Let's go back to last Tuesday. I was at Cabrerra University and I had a meeting with Dean Hernandez. When we were finished, I came out of the building..."

Horatio let his eyes rest on a now visibly shaking Ginny. "When I came out, you called for me. You wanted to talk to me, Ginny. But there was nothing to talk about, was there? You stunned me with your taser."

Eric, ready to give his boss a breather, placed the taser on the table. "We found it in Jenny's car. It's got your fingerprints on it, Ginny."

"Unfortunately I didn't see which of you attacked me next. Do you want to tell me who they were, Ginny?" Horatio glanced at the girl.

She didn't respond.

"That's okay, Ginny. I don't really need to know. You see," he looked down and shifted a bit. "You see, we have enough evidence to put you all away. Jenny... Jenny, you had my cell phone. We know that, because we found it. You threw it away in a dustbin. What you should have done is turned it off before doing that. But you forgot, didn't you?"

Horatio paused, giving the students time to consider what he'd said. "That night, you were all wearing black robes," he now moved on to the next piece of evidence they had.

"The same ones you had on yesterday night when we caught you," Speed filled in.

"We know they were the same," Horatio continued, "because three of those robes had my blood on them. How do you think that happened?"

Of course, nobody answered.

Speed put three black packages on the table. "These are the robes. They belong to..." he bent forward to read the tags they'd put on them when they had taken the clothing from the students, "John Waters, Mitchell Robins and Mark Homan."

"So..." Horatio unmercifully went on. "That means that you three were the ones handling the chain, whip and mace. Weren't you?"

Eric made room for the next piece of evidence. "What we have here is the whip that you used both on Lieutenant Caine and on Ned Sante," Eric glanced at his friend and when he got an approving nod, he moved on. "You dropped this in the forest last night. John, your prints are on the butt. But we have more. We have traced your order with the Australian company, where you bought this whip. You ordered this through one of the University's computers, and the credit card number on the order is yours."

He paused and pointed at the dark red fall on the whip. "You know what this is? This is called the fall. The fall is to take the force of the blow, in order to protect the tail. Did you know the fall actually breaks at the ends and needs to be replaced after multiple usage? A little piece of this fall, John," Eric looked hard at the student, "was embedded in Lieutenant Caine's back."

"So, John," Horatio again joined in. "You see, John. I don't even have to identify your voice. Although I heard you talking before I came into this room, and it sounded very familiar. Speed?"

Speed needed no encouragement and placed a chain on the table. "You are making it easy for us... Mark, care to explain how your prints got on these chains?"

Mark Homan shifted nervously in his chair.

"The doctor from the hospital has stated that the injuries to Lieutenant Caine's legs are caused by something heavy, like chains. The coroner made a similar statement about the condition of Ned Sante's legs. Mark, we swabbed the chains and guess what we found? DNA. Although your victims were wearing trousers, you must have hit some bare skin around the ankles, because we found DNA on these chains from both the Lieutenant and your fellow student."

"Thank you, Speed," Horatio said. "I think that leaves no room for questions, Mark. Let's get to Mitchell now. Shall we?"

Eric pulled out the mace. "Again, you helped us a lot by letting us catch you. You lost this in the forest, didn't you, Mitch?"

"I've just been down to the autopsy lab to look at Ned Sante's body," Horatio continued, his voice sharper now. "You stroked out hard and unmercifully, Mitchell. Were you angry? Because, you know, Mitchell, your blows with this," he pointed at the dreadful weapon on the table. "Your blows have caused Ned's death. You broke his ribs, and those ribs punctured Ned's lungs. What did Ned do to you, Mitchell, to make you so angry with him?"

"The punctures in the victim's skin are a perfect match with this mace. That, plus the skin tissues we found on the spikes is all we need, Mitchell," Eric proceeded.

"You know what I think?" Horatio continued unmercifully. "I think you were angry with Ned because he stood you up. He refused to play along and you wanted to make sure he wasn't going to talk about the group's activities." Pausing for a second, Horatio cocked his head a bit to look at Speed. "What else have we got? We have footprints, don't we, Speed?"

"Yes," Speed nodded. "I've taken samples of the boots you were wearing last night, ladies and gentlemen. I can assure you most of them matched with prints we got from the Chekika crime scene. And we all know they matched with the scene from last night. That, plus fingerprints from the cabin, and hairs we found at the scene... Not to mention the ropes used on Ned Sante. They matched the ones you used tying up the Lieutenant the other night..." Speed faced Tripp.

Frank removed his hands from his pockets, placed them on the table and leaned forward. "And that will be enough. We already know you had plenty of opportunity to sneak past the guards at the Larry and Thompson campsite. You're all going down for the attempted murder of a police officer and the murder of Ned Sante, ladies and gentlemen."

"I told you," Horatio glared at the stunned group. "I told you no crime remains unpunished in Miami. Didn't I?" With a faint nod, he tiredly dropped his head. "It's a shame. It's a shame that the Professor's death wasn't enough. That you didn't learn from what you did to me. If you had, Ned Sante would still be alive. Get them out of my sight, Frank."

Tripp had already moved, called in for some help and then together with the officers that had arrived, he escorted the students to their cells.

Eric and Speed silently gathered all evidence from the table and took it with them as they left the room, giving their boss the space they figured he needed right now.

Horatio sat alone, lost in his thoughts. He was exhausted, his back and chest were hurting and he was cold. He didn't know how long he'd sat there, but then the door opened and Calleigh came in.

"Hey," she smiled at him. She was carrying a glass of water and had some pills in her other hand. She sat down on a chair, and handed him the pills. "Alexx told me to give you these painkillers," she said. "She also said that refusing them was not an option."

"She did?" he grinned. With a trembling hand, he took the pills and stuffed them into his mouth. He looked doubtfully at the glass Calleigh was holding out for him.

"Here," she said softly, understanding this wasn't easy on him. She put the glass in his hand but didn't remove hers, that way steadying him as he tried to bring it to his mouth.

He swallowed the pills and slowly finished the rest of the water. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Calleigh waved him off and placed the glass on the table. "So, what's on your mind?"

Horatio looked up, finding her studying him questioningly and with worry in her eyes. "I was thinking..." he started, "about what drives people. How can one man have this much influence on twelve people? Why, Calleigh," he turned his head and looked away. "Why was Ned the only one able to break the circle?"

"I don't know," she said honestly. "I wish I did, but I really don't know. I guess a factor is their age. They're supposed to be adults, but aren't really. They live and function in groups, so they act that way. Belonging to a group is important at that age, and only those with much self-respect and great inner strength are able to stand above that. The rest just follow the ones with the biggest mouth, the most expensive car or the best looks."

"I don't know, Calleigh," Horatio objected. "Since when does murder fit in there? Wasn't this all about the status of the leaders of the groups? Like you said, cars, brand of shoes or shirts, the most modern haircut..."

"Normally, yes," she agreed. "But what happens when a group like that gets indoctrinated by a mad-man? Who knows what Professor Metzger has been teaching them... those kids have completely lost their grip on reality. And on humanity. They have experienced the effects of fear, power, control and suppression in a way no other human being gets confronted with in a lifetime. They have been taught that these ideas and feelings were natural. Normal. I don't think we can even begin to understand what that would do to a person, especially to people who are still so easily influenced."

"I suppose you need to be a psychiatrist to explain this," he gave in wearily, suddenly too tired to give it another thought.

"Exactly. Our job is to catch the ones who don't play by the rules. Let the shrinks figure out the rest. They sure as hell get paid for that," Calleigh deliberately tried to lighten the mood.

He threw her a faint but thankful smile.

At that moment, Alexx Woods entered the room, clapping her hands. "Okay, it's time to take you back to the hospital."

"I'm out." Horatio turned his head towards her. "I can stay out. Can't I?"

Calleigh chuckled.

Alexx didn't react to that. Instead, she studied him closely. With a frown on her face she stepped closer and grabbed his wrist.

Horatio lowered his eyes and sighed.

"Humor me," Alexx said, then concentrated on counting. Next, she placed the back of her hand against his forehead. "Honey, you're developing a fever."

He didn't answer. Calleigh looked worriedly at him.

"I'm sorry, but we're taking you back," Alexx told him sternly. "They're going to have to find you another mix of antibiotics, this one obviously isn't effective. You also have an appointment for some skin grafts, although I'm afraid that will have to wait until your fever comes down. After that," she smiled encouragingly at him, "we'll talk about getting you home, all right?"

"Well, all right then." This day had worn him out, and keeping up appearances had been difficult and exhausting. Fortunately, it was all over now and he could let go. Carefully he leaned back, closed his eyes and accepted the fact that he was no longer in control.

The two women who were in control at that moment pushed the wheelchair out of the room, out of the building and into the waiting ambulance that would bring him back to the hospital.

XXX-XXX-XXX

Early that evening Calleigh walked through the hallway of the hospital and quietly entered Horatio's room.

He didn't respond to her arrival, obviously deeply asleep.

She studied him for a while. He was still pale, despite the flushed patches on his cheeks. Even asleep and relaxed, he looked exhausted, which, she thought, wasn't a surprise after all that had happened.

He really had no business getting out of bed like he'd done that morning. He really shouldn't have seen Ned Sante's body, bearing gruesome marks similar to his own. Calleigh herself had been shocked at the mutilation, seeing in such close quarters the horrible effects of the torture on Ned, and imagining the terror her own boss and friend must have gone through whilst garnering the same injuries.

On the other hand she understood why he'd done it. Horatio Caine took it as his personal task to make the final accusations, to confront the perps with the facts and then send them away. It was his way of dealing with what they saw on a daily base. It was his way of showing respect to the victims and of offering some salvation to the relatives. Calleigh even suspected that he also did it to protect them, his team. That in case a perpetrator ever came out to seek revenge, he would come after Horatio instead of his team.

Calleigh sat down and grabbed a magazine. She decided she would stay without disturbing him, but she wanted to be there when he woke up. This whole ordeal must have affected him, like it had all of them. Whether he agreed or not, he needed somebody and she was determined to be that person. He hadn't really talked about it yet, and she doubted he ever would but no way on earth was she going to step back and let him deal with it alone.

She wasn't really concentrating on the articles in the magazine, but just glancing through, merely reading the subtitles and looking at the images. She was reaching the last page when Horatio stirred.

Looking up, she studied his face. He wasn't awake, but his eyes were restlessly rolling behind the closed lids. He'd also started to shift and his free arm was flailing around.

Unsure of what to do, Calleigh grabbed his hand, but he pulled free from her grip. Debating whether to wake him or not, she looked up as the door opened.

A nurse came in to check on her patient and she immediately responded to the scene in front of her. She gently placed one hand on the Lieutenant's shoulder and talked softly to him, telling him to calm down and go back to sleep. Her voice had the desired effect as he stilled, leaving her to take his pulse, blood pressure and temperature.

After jotting some values down on her chart, she turned to Calleigh. "He's been having these nightmares. When he does, try to calm him down. It's not doing his back any good if he starts shifting around in the bed. You can attempt to wake him up if he won't settle down, all right?"

Calleigh gave an affirmative nod. "How is he?"

"The doctor will have to tell you the details, I'm not entitled to," the nurse apologized. "But right now, his temp is steadily rising. It'll take a while before the new meds will have the needed effect. I understood you caught the ones who did this to him?"

Nodding again, Calleigh quickly explained. "Just this morning. That's why he came to the station."

"He needed to be there, huh?" the nurse said. "I'm glad that it's all over. I'll be back in an hour or so. Call me if there's anything, all right?"

"Thank you," Calleigh replied and watched her leave the room before turning her attention back to Horatio. He was quiet now.

Calleigh once more grabbed his warm hand. He's been having nightmares, the nurse said. She was glad it was all over, she said. Calleigh sighed, realizing that was not entirely true. The case was closed, yes. The students were arrested and it was all over. But, for Horatio, this was only just the beginning.

THE END 


	19. A rough night

**A/N's**: this is for all those who've asked for a sequel to this story, camper65, Jahnick, LadyNightWind, SerenLunarEcho, and anybody else I have forgotten. Then, of course, for Hgirl, the best reviewer in the world. Be ready for the surprise of your life!

All rightie, see if you still remember this story line: Horatio was kidnapped and tortured by Prof. Adam Metzger's students, and found, barely alive, by the team. The investigation continued and in the end, Ned Sante was killed by the others before Frank and his men arrested the sorry bunch. Horatio, still recovering, came to HQ to nail them himself, and in the end, Alexx checked him over and discovered he was developing a fever. She and Calleigh had to take him back to the hospital. I was leaving it at that, but some of you wanted more, so here it is. More, I'm working on getting him home. Be warned, this is nothing more than Cal playing a sweet nurse, so if you don't like that, stop at chapter 18, okay? Read at your own risk, you've been warned.

-

Calleigh was worried. The last couple of hours she'd been watching how Horatio grew more restless as his temperature slowly rose. She didn't want him to thrash around, as it could re-open the wounds on his back.

She sat with him, her fingers intertwined with his, her thumb gently stroking the back of his hand. So far, her voice had been enough to quiet him down, but by the looks of it that soon wouldn't be enough.

He shifted and muttered in his sleep and she couldn't understand a word he said.

He tossed and moaned, his face set in a grimace and she talked soothingly, hoping to keep him still.

"He..." he suddenly called out. His eyes shot wide open and he stared at the ceiling. "He controls you."

Calleigh frowned. Horatio obviously was reliving something and seemed unaware of her presence. His hand was still in hers, so she squeezed it gently. "Shh," she spoke softly, trying to draw his attention to her. "It's all right."

His head turned and he glanced at her, droplets of sweat dotting his forehead, his eyes bright with fever. "This is wrong," he muttered.

The words to tell him otherwise got stuck in her throat as she realized he didn't recognize her and he was talking about something from when he was held captive by the students.

"Don't worry about that now, Horatio," she tried to reassure him. "Just try to relax, okay?"

He wasn't listening. Shaking his head, his eyes drifted close. "Do you hate your dog?"

Calleigh sighed. Letting go of his hand, she got up and headed for the sink. She opened the cupboard and found a pile of towels and washcloths. Grabbing one of the latter, she soaked it under the tap, then wrung until no more water dripped from it. She returned to the bed and gently wiped Horatio's face and neck before folding the cloth and placing it on his brow.

"The roles are reversed now, Ned," Horatio mumbled. He opened his eyes and his unfocussed glance was directed at the wall opposite of the bed. "How does it feel?"

"Let it go, Horatio," Calleigh pleaded, her voice soft but urging. "Come on, it's all over now. You need to rest, all right?" Leaning forward, she took the cloth from his forehead and turned it around. "You can sleep now. I'll be right here."

A shiver ran through the sick man, then his eyes slowly closed as he fell into another restless sleep.

Sighing, Calleigh leaned back in her chair. She knew Horatio as a strong man, always in control, although at occasions she'd witnessed him being so furious that she'd wondered how much more he could handle before he lost it. Seeing him like this was weird, scary and unnerving. On the other hand she didn't want to be anywhere else at the moment, not wanting him to be alone.

Glancing at her watch, she was surprised at how late it was already. "I'll be right back," she whispered softly to the sleeping man. "I'm just going to get some coffee." She got up and made sure her heels made no clicking noise by walking on the balls of her feet. She left the room and headed for the coffee machine, threw in some coins and placed a cup under it.

"Still here, huh?" a familiar voice called out to her.

Calleigh looked over her shoulder and smiled at the nurse she'd seen earlier that evening. "Yes, I can't leave him like this. I'm Calleigh Duquesne, by the way," she offered her hand, introducing herself.

The nurse took her hand and shook it briefly. "I'm Nathalie. And it's all right, you're free to stay as long as you like. When you need me, just push the call button and I'll be right there."

"Thank you, Nathalie," Calleigh responded. She took her coffee and quietly went back to Horatio's room.

Sipping her coffee, she sat, thinking over the events of the past two weeks. It had all started with the DB of Professor Metzger, who'd been tortured to death. It had been obvious that one of the students had snapped, but no-one had foreseen that each one of the students had been capable of the evil that had followed, torturing the head of the crime lab, plus torturing and killing one of their own when he refused to play along.

The frantic search still fresh in her mind, Calleigh praised herself and the whole shift lucky that they had been able to find their boss in time, although barely. She couldn't imagine continuing her job at CSI if Horatio hadn't survived.

She shivered. Better not to think about that, she told herself.

All that mattered now was concentrating on Horatio's condition. He still had a lot of healing to do, and getting that fever under control was the first important step. Doctor Stevenson had spoken to her earlier that evening, explaining to her that a couple of welts on Horatio's back had become infected. They had to re-open those wounds, allowing them to drain, while another stronger antibiotic was being administered through the IV in order to get the infection under control. Doctor Stevenson expected that the upcoming night would be the hardest, as the antibiotics wouldn't have kicked in yet. Then, starting from tomorrow, the fever should start to show a slow but steady fall.

If all went well, the doctor estimated that they could do the skin crafts just before the upcoming weekend, in which case Horatio would be released from the hospital sometime during the next week.

Interrupted from her thoughts Calleigh looked up as Horatio once more started thrashing. She took the now dry cloth from his brow and walked over to the sink to re-wet it before returning to the bed. A glance at the monitors told her his fever was even higher than last time she'd checked.

"Ssh," she tried to reassure the restless man. Gently, she wiped the sweat from his face and his neck, placed the material on his brow and ruffled his damp hair in a comforting way. "Take it easy, okay?"

He didn't respond to her voice, but shifted in the bed, the arms flailing. Then, completely taking Calleigh by surprise, he jerked until he was sitting up straight. His eyes went wide with shock and his mouth fell wide open as he cried out. "No! Mum!"

Calleigh winced at the rough, hoarse sound of his voice, the deep anguish plainly visible etched on his face. Although he'd never spoken of it to her, Alexx had told her once about the murder of Horatio's mother. The blonde CSI bit on her lip, momentarily unsure how to pull him back from this horrible event from his past.

Slowly leaning forward, she tried to enter his line of vision. "Hey... easy there. You're almost pulling out the IV-line." She grabbed his hand and gently gave it a squeeze. "I think you'd be more comfortable lying down, Horatio. Come on."

A shudder shook him before he became aware of the hand grabbing his. His mouth closed now, the expression on his face softened as he slowly relaxed. Turning his head a bit, his glazed eyes searched and found her. He stared at her for a long time, his eyes bright, his skin damp with sweat and his vision still blurred as he fought to focus. It took him some time to recognize the vague figure with his mind still trapped in another time and another place but slowly the mixed up images from years back faded and he frowned in surprise. "Calleigh?"

Calleigh smiled in relief. "Yes, it's me, handsome."

Lifting a trembling arm, Horatio tried to run a weary hand over his face, but couldn't manage. He let the arm drop back onto the bed, still staring at the blonde woman as he tried to comprehend what was going on. "What happened?" he rasped.

"You're in the hospital. You have a very high fever, but the doctors are working on it and it should come down soon, all right?" Calleigh spoke slowly, deliberately keeping her voice steady. She let go of his hand to take the glass from the stand and held it in front of him. "Here. You're probably thirsty. Can you drink some water?"

He sipped automatically, then licked his lips. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," she responded, putting the glass back. "Now why don't you lie down, Horatio?"

He shifted his gaze from her to the bed and gave a slight nod. His heavy eye-lids already slid shut while she carefully guided him back into the pillows. From the way his breathing evened out she knew that he was asleep and that he didn't even notice how she covered him up with the blankets.

She remained there, watching the fine tremors shaking his body before she got up to rinse the wash cloth once more. Satisfied he was quiet for now, she sat back, yawned and without really reading, she flipped through the pages of another magazine. She drank more coffee to stay awake, but before she could finish it, he was tossing and turning again, in the midst of another feverish dream.

Calleigh closed her eyes in despair at the hoarse sound of his voice as he relived another part of what had happened to him. He mumbled, bits and pieces, and names like Ginny and Ned, and whispered words like humanity and respect. He shook his head, softly murmuring, then called out, "don't let him win!"

Nurse Nathalie came into the room for her round and read the monitors. "I'll be right back," she announced, only to return shortly after with a cooling blanket. Draping it over her patient, she glanced at Calleigh. "Hope this helps. Are you all right here, Calleigh?"

Calleigh nodded. "It's scary, you know. I've never seen him like this."

"People being delirious are far from their usual self and strangely enough they choose that moment to relive some unpleasant moments from the past. It can be scary, I know," the nurse responded with a faint nod. "He's going to be okay, though. A few more hours and his temperature should drop some, pulling him back to the here and now. He probably won't remember much from this night."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. We see it all the time," Nathalie smiled as she prepared to continue her round. "Call me if you need me."

Calleigh watched the nurse leave the room, then looked back at the source of her concern. Natalie's words had brought some relief though, as she focused her hopes on the next day, when he would be doing better.

She kept cooling him down with the washcloth, kept talking to him when he thrashed and quickly left to get another coffee when he was silent. Hours and several episodes of feverish flashbacks, chills and nightmares later she was startled awake at the first sounds coming from the hallway indicating it was early in the morning.

Shaking her head in confusion, Calleigh realized she must have dozed off long at last. Glancing at her watch, she saw it was almost six o'clock. She wiped her sleepy eyes, then looked at the bed. Horatio was quietly asleep, his skin flushed and sweaty. The cloth she had placed on his brow had slipped sideways and the cooling blanket was gone and had been replaced by a normal one. She lifted her arm, turned her hand and placed the back of it against his forehead. He was warm, very warm, but she estimated it to be less than it had been during the night. A quick look at the monitors confirmed her guess as she found his indicated temperature had dropped by at least half a degree.

Calleigh headed for the sink and this time it was her own face she wetted, hoping to wash the tiredness away. Quickly, she loosened the clip that held her hair back in a ponytail, and brushed it before tying it behind her head again. Next she brushed her teeth with the brush she always carried with her in her purse. After rinsing her mouth, she looked at her image in the mirror, satisfied she at least looked as if she'd just had a good night's sleep.

Nathalie brought her a small breakfast with coffee. "I figured you needed that," she announced with a smile. "Dayshift is taking over now, so I'll be going home. Make sure you get some sleep yourself, all right?"

Calleigh smiled back at her. "I will. Thanks for the good care, Nathalie. Are you on duty tonight?"

The nurse nodded. "You aren't planning on staying another night, are you?"

"I might," Calleigh shrugged, throwing a quick glance at her boss. "It depends on how he's doing. I don't want him to be alone."

"He's not married, right? And no family?" Nathalie asked out of curiosity.

"He's divorced. I've never seen his ex. And no family... nobody I know of," Calleigh responded.

"You obviously care a lot about him," the nurse noted.

"Hmm," Calleigh smiled. "Maybe more than I should."

Nathalie frowned. "Why's that?"

"Well... he's my boss..." Calleigh tried to explain.

"So?"

Grinning now, Calleigh agreed. "You're right. So what."

The nurse batted an eye with a meaningful smile. "He's lucky to have you. See you tonight, then." With that, she left, leaving Calleigh alone with her thoughts.

After finishing her breakfast she brought her plate to the trolley in the hallway, then took her familiar seat and started reading a magazine. She'd just picked up the second magazine after finishing the first as Horatio gave the first signs of waking up. She quickly put the magazine aside and watched him closely. His fingers trembled and then his eyelids started fluttering. Slowly, he pried his eyes open, and she watched how he looked around in confusion before his tired gaze settled on her.

"Morning," she greeted him cheerfully.

A faint smile appeared on his face. He tried to say something but his throat was too dry so he swallowed a few times then tried again. "Hi, there."

She was already there with a glass of water, and held it in front of him so he could sip. "Better?" she asked when he was finished.

Horatio gave a slight nod. "How long have you been sitting there?"

"Oh, for some time," she said, deliberately keeping it vague. She was afraid he would be embarrassed if he knew she'd stayed all night. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," he answered with a hoarse voice. "And cold."

Calleigh had already noticed that. "You're shivering. I'm going to get you another blanket." With that, she got up and returned shortly after with another blanket, which she draped over him. "There you go."

"Thank you. What day is it?"

"It is Tuesday morning."

He frowned in surprise. "What happened to Monday afternoon?"

She grinned. "You don't remember, huh? We took you back to the hospital and you fell asleep in the ambulance. You were exhausted. Then, your temperature went up... some wounds on your back are infected and they are trying to get that under control. As a matter of fact, your fever is still..." she glanced at the monitors, "hovering around 104."

He stared at her in confusion.

"Don't worry about it, Horatio. It will be all right," Calleigh quickly tried to reassure him. She grabbed his hand and gently squeezed it.

"You're cold," he muttered.

Smiling, she disagreed. "No, I'm not. You're just a tad too hot. The antibiotics should kick in soon though, which will bring your temperature down. Hey," she bent forward, frowning in worry as his eyes apparently had trouble focusing and his eye lids started to close. "Horatio?"

Startled, his eyes fluttered open again and tried to concentrate on her. "Hmm? Sorry..."

"That's okay," she hastened to say as she realized the brief conversation had worn him out. "Why don't you go back to sleep for a while, huh? I'll be right here."

"All rightie," he said, dredging up a smile then closed his eyes and drifted off before she even had the chance to lean back in her chair.

Calleigh just sat there and watched him sleep. She was glad he'd recognized her and hoped he would get some rest without being disturbed by another nightmare. She'd lost track of time, then looked up as the door opened and her female colleague and friend Alexx Woods entered the room.

"Morning, Calleigh," Alexx greeted her. "You're early today."

"Hi, Alexx," Calleigh responded with a smile, then shrugged.

"What.." Alexx continued with a frown, quickly understanding. "You mean you were her all night?"

"Well, I couldn't leave him like that, Alexx," Calleigh apologized.

"Hmm," Alexx commented, shaking her head. She stepped closer to the bed to read the monitors before her gaze shifted to the sleeping man. "His temperature is still high. How is he?"

"Better now. He's been delirious all night and had some frightening nightmares. But he did recognize me this morning, although I don't think he remembered anything from after we took him back to the hospital yesterday afternoon."

"That doesn't surprise me," Alexx replied. She moved her hand and gently rubbed Horatio's arm. "You shouldn't have been out of bed yet. It was too much for you, sugar."

"He couldn't stay away, Alexx."

"I know, honey. He couldn't, and now he's paying for it." Alexx stepped back with a sad smile on her face. "Let's hope the new mix of antibiotics will work." She looked up as two nurses entered, one carrying a set of clean beddings. "Come on, Cal. We're going for some coffee."

"Morning routine," one of the nurses apologized. "We'll be done in twenty minutes. The doctor will arrive shortly after that."

"Thank you," Alexx said as she headed to the door. "Can you let the doctor know I want to talk to him? We'll be in the waiting room."

"Of course," the nurse nodded.

Calleigh closed the door behind her and followed Alexx. They both filled a cup with coffee, then sat down at one of the tables.

"Honey, you should go home and get some sleep," Alexx started, eyeing her blonde colleague in concern. Calleigh could think she was all right but Alexx didn't fail to notice the fatigue etched on her face. "Especially if you're planning to stay for another night..."

"He shouldn't be alone, Alexx," Calleigh protested in advance, in case Alexx was going to try to talk her out of it.

"With the antibiotics doing their job, he shouldn't be delirious anymore, Calleigh," Alexx tried to reassure her friend.

"I know, but he has nightmares, Alexx. He's reliving it, every time he closes his eyes," Calleigh argued.

"That's a normal reaction," Alexx said. "He's got to deal with what happened, one way or the other."

"But he shouldn't have to do that all alone," Calleigh spoke firmly.

Alexx grinned at Calleigh's determination. "I'm not saying that. All I'm saying is that you need to get some rest. How are you planning to stay awake for another night if you don't get some sleep today?" She looked up, trying to determine if her words had the needed effect. "Besides, what do you think Horatio would have to say when he finds out you got yourself sick while looking out for him?"

"All right, all right," Calleigh gave in, knowing Alexx had a good point.

"Look, Tom is doing the autopsies this morning so I can stay with him for a while," Alexx said kindly, patting Calleigh's arm. "Eric and Timmy have been called in to another scene, but I'm sure they will find some time to come and visit this afternoon. And Frank won't stay away either, so Horatio won't be alone much. Besides, he's probably going to sleep most of the day anyway, after what he's been through yesterday and last night."

"Promise?" Calleigh had to know.

"I promise. And I'll call you if needed, you know that. Now go on, sugar."

With a weary sigh Calleigh got up. "All right then. I'll call you as soon as I wake up."

"As long as it won't be before sometime afternoon," Alexx warned.

"Bye, Alexx," Calleigh grinned as she got up, preparing to leave. "And thank you."


	20. Turning the tides

**A/N's: **Awww, another chapter and he still isn't home. I thought I couldn't do this, this kind of writing, but somehow I keep on adding stuff. I **_will_** get him home, though. I promise. I hope you're still enjoying this. Thanks for reviewing.**  
**

**20. Turning the tides. **

It had taken Calleigh some time to fall asleep during the day, but somehow she must have managed, as suddenly it was four thirty in the afternoon.

Yawning, she got up, anxious to get back to the hospital. First, however, she took a hot shower to freshen up.

Quickly grabbing some food from the fridge, she prepared something to eat while dialing Alexx's number, the phone wedged between her ear and her drawn up shoulder.

"Dr. Woods," Alexx announced herself.

"Alexx, it's me," Calleigh said. She dropped the knife and grabbed better hold of the phone.

"Hey, there," Alexx spoke gently. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, I did," Calleigh replied impatiently. "How is he, Alexx?"

"Well, he slept quite some time this morning, although a bit restless, but his temperature could be the cause of that," Alexx informed her. "I stayed until a quarter past eleven, and we even had a little chat. Timmy and Eric visited him around lunch time, and they complained to me that Horatio had been questioning them about their next case followed by a whole row of instructions on what they were supposed to do. I know Frank was going to drop by this afternoon, but I haven't seen him yet."

"Good," Calleigh nodded despite Alexx couldn't see her gesture. "I'm quickly eating something and then I'm on my way over to the hospital."

"Take your time, honey," Alexx advised. "What's another thirty minutes, you should eat properly. I'll be back tomorrow morning before I go to work, so I guess I will see you then."

"Yes, all right. Thanks, Alexx." Calleigh broke off the connection, put her phone aside and finished preparing her meal. She allowed herself another twenty minutes to finish before she threw the dirty plate, knife and fork in the sink. She'd clean up some other time. Grabbing her jacket and the phone she rushed outside and hopped in the Hummer then drove to the hospital.

She found Horatio awake, struggling with his dinner. "Hey there," she greeted him brightly.

He smiled at her. "Calleigh."

She studied him closely. His eyes were clearer and his skin less flushed as it had been that morning. One glance at the monitors told her his fever had dropped to just above 103. "You're looking much better," she commented while stepping closer to grab his plate. "Here, let me help you with that," she said as she reached forward and took the cutlery from his hands.

"It's okay," he slightly protested. "It's okay, I can do it."

"I'm sure you can," Calleigh told him while she prepared some smaller bites. Rearranging it so he could easily scoop it, she shoved the plate back. "But now you can just use your spoon. Hungry?"

"No," he admitted, pulling a face.

"Hmm, no surprise there," she said. "But eat it anyway. You need to regain some strength."

"Yes, ma' am," he joked, but did as he was told. He didn't finish two bites before he had to ask, "So what case are you working on?"

Calleigh rolled her eyes. "You're not in charge of the crime lab at the moment, Horatio. Let it go."

He sighed. "That's what Eric and Speed said this afternoon as well," he admitted. With a trembling hand he managed to shove another bite into his mouth. After swallowing he continued. "But lying here doing nothing isn't really my thing and my head is working just fine."

She laughed out loud, and then hastened to explain. "Horatio, this morning you could barely keep your eyes open and I'm pretty sure you slept most of the day..."

He looked at her in an apologizing manner, realizing he wasn't being very patient.

Calleigh's laughter stilled as she stared at him, and she suddenly took pity on him. "You're right. There's nothing wrong in showing interest in your colleagues' work and if it gives you something to think about when there's nothing else you can do it should be okay. As long as it's not interfering with your recovery."

Horatio gave a slight nod. "So? How was your day?" he asked, before taking another bite of his meal.

"Hmm," she started carefully, thinking fast on how she could get away with this. Quickly she decided however not to lie. "Actually, I was at home today, sleeping."

Immediately Horatio frowned in concern. "Why? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, don't worry," Calleigh reassured him. "I just didn't get much sleep last night, so I had to catch up. That's all."

He looked at her, questioningly and she defiantly looked back. He shoved his plate aside, indicating he had enough, then lowered his gaze. "So it wasn't a dream," he muttered.

Her eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"The bits and pieces I remember from last night are all very vague and confusing, but somehow I recall you being there." He threw her a meaningful grin. "And of course Eric said you weren't at work today."

"Well, well, Lieutenant," Calleigh spoke up, laughter shining through her eyes. "I should have remembered you are a CSI."

"I'm glad you got some sleep today," Horatio said. He wasn't sure yet whether he felt pleased, annoyed or embarrassed. For the moment, he settled for all three of them.

Sensing he was struggling with his emotions, Calleigh tried to distract him. She stood up and reached for his plate, placing it on the night stand and asked casually, "So, Frank was here as well?"

"Yes, this afternoon," Horatio acknowledged. "He told me about Barbosa's influence on those kids, and how he'd set them up to this." He stared at the wall, his eyes suddenly distant and dark. "Too bad he left Miami..."

Calleigh cursed inwardly at the direction her distraction had unknowingly headed. "We'll get him, Horatio. You know we will." She sat down again, grabbed his hand and gave it a slight squeeze. "Relax." Having said that and seeing him not respond to her, Calleigh wondered if he ever could, with the knowledge that the Colombian interrogator was still out there.

They remained silent for a long time, Horatio lost in his private world, not ready to let anybody in, and Calleigh waiting, not willing to push him yet, but wondering what she could do to help.

In the end, it was him breaking the silence, as he turned his head towards her, although he still couldn't look up. "Thank you for putting up with me."

"Why, Lieutenant," she responded firmly. "You can thank me for being here, for caring, for wearing my hair down, for anything, except for putting up with you because that's not what I'm doing."

He stared at her, a little taken aback by her unexpected outburst. She was looking at him, with fiery eyes daring him to argue. As he always did, he apologized. "Sorry."

She wasn't done. "And you can stop the sorry's as well. Stop saying sorry when you grimace because you hurt. Stop apologizing for falling asleep, or waking up. Nobody is blaming you for anything that's happened so stop blaming yourself." She looked at him, her eyes wide open, trying to determine if she was getting through to him.

He stared back, unable to respond as he tried to decipher what had just happened.

Then, her face relaxed into a broad smile. "Oh, Horatio, I'm sorry. It's just... I'm not here because I feel sorry for you, or because I'm putting up with you. I'm here because I care. I care a lot about you and I'm worried about you, all right? You're reliving everything that's happened in your nightmares, which is only natural, and if I know you as well as I think I do, you're going to pretend you're fine because you don't want us to worry. Well, I worry, I can tell you're not fine and I'm staying tonight."

Overwhelmed, Horatio dropped his gaze and looked down at the sheets. "I..." he started softly, then paused for a while before he was able to continue, "I guess I'm used to looking out for others."

"I know," Calleigh responded softly. "But right now, you just have to let us look after you for a change." Bending forward, she pressed a faint kiss on his forehead, then smiled at him. "Why don't you try to sleep for a while? You're tired, I can tell. I'll just sit here and read the book I've brought. How does that sound?"

"Fine," he said with a ghost of a smile. Drained of the little energy he had left his eyes drooped shut and no sound came over his lips but they moved, only a bit, as he mouthed a silent thanks.


	21. One week later

**21. One week later.**

Horatio was woken by a ray of sunshine entering the bedroom through nearly closed curtains. Careful for the healing, still tender skin he rolled from his side to his back. He had been home for a few days now. Actually, he was at Calleigh's home, since both she and the doctor had agreed he shouldn't be alone yet. Not that he minded, he felt comfortable here and was glad to be out of the hospital.

Calleigh had been great. He smiled at the memory of her little outburst at the hospital last week. She'd refused to leave him and, true to her worth, she'd been there when he needed her.

The nightmares were bad. He'd had them before, about that horrible day when he'd come home to find his mother lying on the floor in a pool of blood, but those nightmares had loosened their grip over the many years that had passed. Now they had returned again for different reasons, about a different scenario, robbing him from the rest and sleep his body needed.

He shivered, recalling the times he'd woken up gasping for air, soaking wet from sweating and shaking all over. Every time she'd been there, remaining silent, but holding him until the tremors eased, or softly talking to him until he had regained his grip on reality. He hadn't been able to talk about it, but she hadn't pushed him, instead, she'd just waited patiently, encouraging him to go back to sleep.

Being out of the hospital was easier. It gave him more privacy and, with his injuries healing, he was able to get out of bed and hobble around, although handling the crutches with his weakened muscles wasn't easy.

His day was pretty much a routine. In the morning, Calleigh spread a special ointment on his back to help the healing skin. After that he spent quite some time in the bathroom, attempting to freshen up, while Calleigh prepared breakfast. They ate breakfast in the kitchen, and then Calleigh guided him to the living room, where he pretty much every morning fell asleep on the couch again until the physiotherapist arrived.

His therapy, concentrating only on his arms since his leg was still in a cast, lasted for an hour and by that time he was sore, tired and barely able to eat lunch and get back to bed, where he slept till three or four in the afternoon. The rest of the afternoon he spent on the couch again, flopping through television channels until Calleigh had prepared their dinner. Most days he'd dozed some more on the couch while Calleigh used that time to clean up. Together, they spent the rest of the evening watching a movie. That was unless Alexx or Tim and Eric dropped by to say hello.

Today, three weeks after he was kidnapped, Calleigh had gone back to work. It had taken a lot of convincing from his side as she was reluctant, but she was needed for another case and he really could manage, after all he was sleeping most of the day anyway.

Horatio pushed the blankets aside. Slowly, he maneuvered until he was sitting up in the bed before dragging his casted leg off the bed. His crutches were waiting for him within reach so he took them then struggled to get up. It was hard work, but he was getting better at it each day. He hobbled over to the curtains and, taking two crutches in one hand, he pushed them open with the other. That taken care of he started his painfully slow trip to the living room.

Suddenly the house felt strange and empty, with Calleigh not there. Glancing at the clock on the wall he knew he wouldn't have to wait for long however before she'd be home. Using the remote control, he turned on the TV and switched through the channels until he reached a science program, which he usually enjoyed watching.

He must have dozed off again, because next thing he knew was the front door opening.

She was there in an instant, smiling as only she could. "Hey, sleepy head," she greeted him. "How was your day?"

Horatio struggled to sit up straighter and rubbed his eyes. "Hey. I think I missed most of it."

She laughed. "That's good. You need your beauty sleep. Did therapy go well?"

"Hmm," he answered. "I think so. There is some improvement, he said."

"That's good," Calleigh nodded, intently looking at him. "I know you are impatient and that you want more progress, but it's really going well, Horatio."

"I know," he agreed, although reluctantly. "So how was your day?"

She sat down next to him. "Fine. They were all asking how you are, you know... Gina, from the reception, detective Bernstein, Adele, Johnson and Ramirez send you their greetings... night shift was waiting for me, anxious to hear how you're doing, the lab guys, the technicians... everybody told me to say hi and wish you well."

Smiling, Horatio dropped his gaze. He wasn't used to that much well-meant attention and it made him kind of shy.

"Lieutenant Willis told me to tell you to get well soon as well. He's having a hard time, you know."

"Why is that?"

"Everybody misses you. They keep mentioning your name and doing things the way they know you'd want it," Calleigh grinned. She knew how much everybody at HQ admired and respected the head of CSI, he just wasn't aware of it himself. "Anyway, I'm hungry. I'm going to fix us something to eat." With that, she rose to her feet and headed for the kitchen.

Thirty minutes later she returned, carrying two plates. She'd made him Italian, knowing all too well that was his favorite. She told Horatio all the details about the case she was working on while they ate, knowing he was interested. Glancing at him between talking and eating she was pleased to see he was finishing his meal without trouble.

"Thank you, that was delicious," he said, as ever polite.

She shrugged it off. He didn't have to thank her for everything, but she knew he would anyway. "Do you still have room for some desert?" she asked. "I brought you some tiramisu."

His eyes lit up. "I always have room for tiramisu. You are spoiling me, Calleigh."

"Why, Lieutenant, you haven't seen all of it yet," she teased, her eyes twinkling. Gathering the now empty plates she got up. "I'll be right back."

It didn't take her long to return and she handed him his bowl and spoon before sitting down with her own share. "So... you think you can stay awake? I think Eric is coming over tonight."

"Hmm," he responded, after licking the chocolate from his spoon. "I have slept enough for today, I think."

Calleigh grinned. She'd heard that a few times over the last couple of days, yet he'd managed to fall asleep at the weirdest moments. She didn't mind, though, knowing that his body needed the sleep to heal. Especially since his nights were still frequently interrupted by the nightmares that were still plaguing him.

"In that case, I'll clean this up and make some coffee."

He stared after her as she left the living room. It was what he hated the most. Balancing on one leg handling two crutches with the muscles and nerves in his arms still not fully recovered was a challenge as it was, so helping her out in the kitchen was out of the question. He'd tried to get them a drink from the fridge once that weekend and had ended up dropping the bottle and breaking one of the glasses at the same time. She'd been there in an instant, startled by the sound, worried that he might have hurt himself. "Nothing but my pride," he'd responded and she'd maneuvered him back to the living room before cleaning up the mess.

He debated about switching on the TV but didn't get the chance as Eric Delko arrived. "Hey, H," he greeted his boss. "How's it going?"

"Fine, Eric," Horatio responded. "And how are you doing?"

"I'm good," Eric said. "Tim said hi, he had a date tonight. Alexx said she'll stop by tomorrow morning... Frank is coming, though. He has something to tell you."

"Something to tell me?" Horatio frowned, wondering what that could be.

Eric smiled mysteriously. "Yes. You'll find out in a minute, H."

Horatio looked at Calleigh, but she refrained from looking back. Instead, she fled to get the coffee from the kitchen. When she came back the doorbell rang again and Eric opened the door for Frank.

"Eric, Calleigh, H," Frank greeted his colleagues then stopped to take a closer look at his friend. "You're looking better than last week, H. How is your back?"

"It's fine, Frank," Horatio responded. "Calleigh tells me the skin is healing really well. It itches a lot."

"Oh, although irritating, I guess that's a good sign. And how's the arms?" Frank continued, knowing he had to keep asking for details if he wanted some answers other than the casual "I'm fine".

"Slowly getting better," Horatio answered. He clenched and unclenched his hands. "I can eat and drink without spilling so that's an improvement. It's going to need much therapy to get all of my strength back, though."

"Horatio wants it all in three days instead of three weeks," Calleigh responded, rolling her eyes.

Eric chuckled. "Oh, I know that. He's too impatient to be a good patient."

Horatio glared at him.

Eric looked back, still laughing. "Well, it's true. Isn't it?"

Smiling now, Horatio gave a slight nod. "Yes. Yes I guess I'm impatient. Sue me."

Sipping from his coffee, Frank had remained silent, but couldn't withhold the information he had any longer. "Horatio, I came here to tell you that we have caught Barbosa on Miami international this morning."

Horatio's eyes widened as he stared at his friend. "Did you? How?"

"Well, we had an APB out on him of course. And the jerk just chose today to try to get back into Florida. He was in custody before he knew what was happening."

"We had the testimony of Giny Taylor and ... Both of them have explained to us how Barbosa had set them up to do this," Eric filled in. "Today, Speed and I spoke to the other students as well and they are now willing to testify this as well. They were too afraid to do that earlier."

"I confronted Barbosa with this, of course, and it took some time and work, but he told us enough in the end. We've got him and he's not going anywhere for the rest of his life." Frank smiled, knowing this was something Horatio needed to hear.

"Nice going," Horatio commented softly after a long pause. He looked down at his hands. "So now it's really over, isn't it?"

"Yes, Horatio, it is," Calleigh moved closer and grabbed his hand to give it a gentle squeeze.

Horatio tilted his head and glanced at Tripp. "Thank you, Frank."

"Any time, H. Any time."

>

**A/N's **: I got him home! I promised, didn't I? Was this what you wanted? All rightie, working on the final absolute final chapter and then this story is finito. So hang in there just a little while longer. As always, thanks for the feedback. You feed my pen!


	22. Peace of Mind

**A/N's: Awww... the absolute final chapter! I'm really sad in one way, but happy too, does that make sense? I want to thank you all for reading, hope you enjoyed the ride as much as I did. One last time I'd like to thank Pheral, you made this story better. And hopefully I'll come up with another story idea any time soon, grin. _ - Corine (aka CD57)._  
**

**22. Peace of Mind.**

It was nearly two o'clock in the middle of the night. Calleigh wasn't sure what had woken her up. Silently she lay there, listening, but nothing except the rustling of the wind blowing through the trees next to her house disturbed the quiet night.

Slowly pushing the blankets aside Calleigh sat up, shifted her legs over the edge of the bed and slid her feet into her slippers. Quietly she stood, all her attention directed at listening for anything unusual.

She left the guestroom then crossed the hallway, her feet making no noise on the soft carpet. The door to the master bedroom was open and she peered inside. A single beam of light from the moon outside entered the bedroom through the nearly closed curtains, showing her the empty spot on the bed.

It didn't surprise her. The last week she'd developed a sixth sense regarding Horatio's well-being. The slightest disturbance was enough for her to raise from her slumber, shaking her awake instantly, alert and ready to respond to any discomfort he was experiencing.

Her subconscious must have warned her this time as well, urging her to go and search for one missing Lieutenant.

Calleigh found him standing in the living room, in front of the window. His back was directed to her and leaning on his crutches he stood there, simply staring into the dark, silent night. The dim moonlight entering the living room colored his hair a shiny shade of gold.

Crossing her arms Calleigh leaned against the door frame and remained quiet; merely just watching him, wondering what it was that troubled him this time.

Silently he stood there, undisturbed and unmoving, leaving Calleigh to guess whether he'd heard her approach or not. Normally she wouldn't be questioning that, she knew very little got by his sharp mind, but he wasn't exactly back to himself yet.

She waited patiently, deliberately giving him the time and space he obviously needed.

Finally after a long time he spoke up, his voice soft and barely audible. "I..." he paused again, didn't look up or around, then continued. "I didn't have another nightmare this time, Calleigh."

She let out a sigh in relief. She'd been worried, standing there waiting had not only left her shivering from the cold but had also left her wondering whether she'd slept through another of his nightmares.

"I'm just thinking about the nightmares. About how real they are. I dream about hanging there. They... they are standing in front of me, covered in their black robes, their eyes glowing in the dark. It... It's all so real. I hear the wheezing sound of the leather whip slicing through the air before it lands on my back..." a shiver ran over Horatio's spine, but other than that he didn't move. "I feel the pain as it tears my skin and I feel the blood oozing down my back."

Calleigh blinked, her eyes slowly wetting and a single tear rolled down her left cheek.

"I have no control over the situation... I try, I try so hard to make them understand but I can't get through to them. The whip comes down again and again. They don't listen. I fail, I can't help them, Calleigh..."

She wanted to scream at him, that it hadn't been his fault, she wanted to rush forward and shake some sense in him, but she knew she couldn't do that. Not now, not at the first moment that he'd finally found the courage to open up. She forced herself to remain where she was and listen to what he had to tell.

"I feel every lash, every blow, the chain wrapping around my legs... my shins are swelling up from the force of the blows." He tilted his head and looked up, his gaze directed at the moon. "Then the chain comes down again, on my foot. I feel my toes snap and it hurts so bad that it makes me sick to the stomach and then I wake up gasping for air..."

Calleigh closed her eyes in despair and silently lifted a hand, her thumb brushing away another tear rolling down her face. When she opened her eyes again she saw he'd dropped his head, chin to the chest and she wondered what to do.

He took the decision from her as he spoke up again. "There's also another nightmare. In this dream I'm running through the fields, through the woods, chased after by a group of Clan-dressed figures. My heart is pounding in my throat and I panic. They are closing in and suddenly I trip over something, I try to break my fall with my hands... I try to get away, but fail."

Horatio slowly turned around, the moon illuminating his face, showing a sad smile. "The end is always the same. I know I have to get away, that something bad is going to happen if I let them catch me, but I fail each time. That's when I wake up, shaking and drenched in sweat."

Calleigh stared at him, studying him closely. Each word had added to her vivid picture of the torture he'd been subjected to, building on what the case evidence had shown her and the story told by the scars and marks all over his body. It sent shivers down her spine, yet she was grateful that he trusted her enough to finally share these terrible events.

His gaze dropped to the floor. "Then there's also the one in which I'm dying. I know I am, as I struggle to draw in a breath. My chest is heaving, my lungs are filled with fluid and I can hear the rattling, gargling sound of my own breathing. My ears are ringing and I can vaguely hear voices... Voices telling me to relax, to keep on breathing. I try... I try so hard. The voices are urging me to hang on but I'm fading. I can't breath, I gasp and choke and then my world slowly turns black. I'm slipping away and can't stop it. Failing again."

Calleigh looked at him, biting on her lip. She didn't want to sob, didn't want to sniff. She needed to hear him out, needed to grant him this chance without disturbance. She wanted to be strong for him but was unable to stop the tears slowly rolling down her cheeks.

He stood there, awkwardly leaning on his crutches, a shiver shaking his tall frame. He remained silent for a long time, and used this to regain his composure before he felt secure enough to tilt his head and face her. "You're crying."

Calleigh lifted a hand to wipe the moisture from her face. "No," she started, then quickly corrected herself, knowing he didn't deserve to be lied at. "Only a little."

"I'm sorry," he stated with a soft, sad voice.

"Don't," she pleaded. "Don't be sorry, Horatio. Please, don't."

Horatio glanced at her, then gave a slight nod.

She moved forward now, until she was close to him and gently took him by the arm. "Come on, you've been standing on that leg for a long time now. Let's sit down."

Carefully she guided him to the couch and helped him down. She drew a small coffee table closer so he could put his leg up before she sat down next to him. "What woke you up tonight?" she asked.

"Tonight, I had a different dream," he slowly started. Lifting his arm Horatio brought his hand to her face and gently wiped the tears away. "Tonight, the dream concentrated on catching the students. On the gathered evidence, it all being enough to put them through trial and send them to jail for a long time. Then, last but not least, I dreamed about Barbosa in custody. And woke up knowing it was all over." He lifted his head and glanced sideways, a frown etched on his face. "So where does that leave me, Calleigh?"

She quickly ran a hand over her face again, then brought her hand to his lap, grabbing his hand to give it a gentle squeeze. "That leaves you on the road to recovery, Horatio," she responded, as she smiled at him. "I wish I could ensure you it was all over now, that the nightmares aren't coming back, but honestly, I can't. I have no idea, but I suggest we're just going to have to take slow steps. You're a fighter, Horatio. You're going to be okay, of that I'm absolutely sure."

"Thank you for your support," Horatio said softly.

"You're welcome, handsome. And thank you, too," Calleigh responded, then placed her arm around him, encouraging him to lean against her and lay his head on her shoulder. "You let me in, and I know how difficult that is for you. It means a lot to me."

She moved her hand until it was touching his head and started drawing circles in his hair. "Tired?" she asked.

"Hmmm, no," he said sleepily.

Calleigh chuckled. Her fingers never stopped moving as her mind traveled back to that horrible day, where they'd come really close to losing him. That thought haunted her in her own dreams, although she didn't want to tell him that yet. He had enough on his mind already so she had to battle her own demons. It helped, to sit here on the couch with him safely in her arms. It helped her focus on the here and now.

Calleigh listened to his slow, even breathing. He said he wasn't tired yet he'd fallen asleep again. Calleigh smiled. She shifted a little until she was more comfortable then closed her eyes. He wasn't dead, she hadn't lost him. This was real. He was in her arms, keeping her warm. That was all that mattered.

_**THE END - FINITO - ENDE**_


End file.
